Department for Transport

Bus Services: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reduction was in his Department's support for bus funding in England in 2014-15.

Andrew Jones: The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government.In 2014-15 my Department provided funding of around £250 million in Bus Service Operators Grant, of which over £40 million per year is now paid direct to authorities to help support bus services. This figure excludes some £93 million a year previously paid to bus operators for running bus services under franchise to Transport for London (TfL) in London, which is now incorporated into the general grant paid to TfL and the Greater London Authority.

Department for Transport: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not centrally record this information.

Office of Rail and Road

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) monitoring framework; and what guidance he has provided to the ORR as it develops its enforcement plan.

Claire Perry: In terms of rail, Ministers and Department for Transport officials regularly discuss the regulation of Network Rail and the railways with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).In 2015 ORR has carried out consultations on both its railways and Highways Monitoring enforcement policies. DfT responded to both consultations. I understand ORR will publish revised policies in due course.In relation to monitoring Highways England, the Infrastructure Act 2015 conferred the monitoring function on ORR and Highways England was appointed as a Strategic Highways Company on 1 April 2015.The ORR Highways Monitor has been provided with statutory guidance to develop its enforcement plan. This statutory guidance was jointly issued with HM Treasury on 20 March 2015 and can be found on the gov.uk website.

Mersey Gateway Project

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the additional travel costs likely to be incurred by people not resident in Halton, of commuting using the bridge, arising from the Mersey Gateway Project in the first year that bridge is open.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Dover Harbour Board: Directors

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on the appointment of two community board members to the Dover Harbour Board; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Three representations have been received on this matter over the past 4 months. I and officials from the Department are working with Dover Harbour Board and other stakeholders to take forward a Harbour Revision Order (HRO) that would allow two community directors to be appointed to the Board as well as other changes to the Board’s constitution. This includes matters raised in response to a consultation on the draft HRO earlier in 2015. I fully support the appointment of the community directors and I hope this work can be completed shortly to allow progress to be made.

Aviation: Passengers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many air passengers have made claims against airline companies for flight delays in each of the last five years; and how many such claims have been successful.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government does not hold this data, it is owned by the individual airlines. The Civil Aviation Authority, as the National Enforcement Body under EU Regulation 261/2004 on Air Passenger Rights, does however collate and publish data on complaints that it receives from passengers. This information can be found on the CAA website:http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=80&pagetype=88&pageid=27&sglid=27.

Shipping: Registration

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent findings of the UK Flag Advisory Panel on reform of the UK Ship Register.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The findings of the UK Ship Register Advisory Panel formed part of the evidence considered by the Maritime Growth Study, published on 7 September, and helped inform the Chair’s specific recommendations on the UK Ship Register.The Government will respond formally to the Maritime Growth Study by the end of 2015, but is taking immediate action in response to some recommendations. This includes taking steps to support the improved operation of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) by appointing a commercial director to lead the UK Ship Register separately from the Agency’s regulatory functions and developing a business case to explore the costs and benefits of options for more significant reform of the MCA.

Roads: Finance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 15 of the Office of Rail and Road's report, Monitoring Highways England, published in October 2015, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing data on the delivery of the road investment programme.

Andrew Jones: A key element of the recent Roads Reform work was the appointment of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as the independent monitor of Highways England. The ORR will be working with Highways England to ensure that they have the necessary data and information to perform their role effectively.

Public Transport: Disability

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that drivers on public transport are trained to assist disabled passengers.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport (DfT) has work closely with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to commission work to evaluate the existing Disabled Awareness Training and to produce some guidelines in best practice.Since September 2008 all professional bus and coach drivers have been required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence as a requirement of the EU Directive 2003/59. Disability Awareness Training is currently available to all drivers as part of the periodic Certificate of Professional Competence training syllabus. The bus industry has reported that virtually all drivers have now undertaken Disability Awareness Training and DfT will continue to work with the industry to encourage the further uptake of disability awareness training by bus and coach drivers.The standards that taxi and PHV drivers have to meet is a matter for individual local licensing authorities. DfT Best Practice Guidance for taxi and PHV licensing says that licensing authorities should consider requiring or encouraging their drivers to undertake disability awareness training. According to DfT’s 2015 taxi and PHV statistical survey, 104 licensing authorities in England and Wales require taxi drivers to undergo disability awareness training.In the rail industry awareness training is mandatory for all customer facing staff and managers.

Road Traffic Offences: EU Action

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to issue guidance on the implementation of the EU Cross Border Enforcement Directive.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date he plans to implement the EU Cross Border Enforcement Directive.

Andrew Jones: The UK is required to transpose the EU Directive 2015/413 on the Cross Border Exchange of Information on Road Safety Related Traffic Offences by 6 May 2017. Work is currently underway to implement the relevant legal changes by this date. Explanatory notes will accompany the secondary legislation implementing the data sharing requirements and these will be made public when the legislation is tabled.

Shipping: Registration

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likely causes of changes in the size of the UK Ship Register since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A decline in UK shipping interests, including in the size of the UK Ship Register, was one of the reasons government launched the Maritime Growth Study in 2014. The evidence into the Study included an assessment from the independent UK Ship Register Advisory Panel, which was commissioned by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) to review the current performance of the UK Ship Register and consider the conditions which would enable the Register to become more internationally competitive. The Panel’s report includes their views on the reasons for the decline in the Register and was published on 16 July 2015.The wider Study, published on 7 September 2015, considered the increasing international competition faced by the UK maritime sector as a whole, but contains a number of proposals specific to the UK Ship Register.The Government will respond formally to the Maritime Growth Study by the end of 2015, but is taking immediate action in response to some recommendations. This includes the establishment of a Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth and taking steps to support the improved operation of the MCA such as appointing a commercial director to lead the UK Ship Register separately from the Agency’s regulatory functions and a business case exploring the costs and benefits of options for more significant reform of the MCA.

Electric Vehicles

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has assessed the necessary financial support required by local authorities to deliver a charging network for electric vehicles of the scale required to have an effect on local air quality.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of electric charging points in air quality management areas, (b) number of such points needed to have an effect on air quality and (c) associated costs of upgrading the necessary grid infrastructure.

Andrew Jones: The Government wants almost every car and van to be a zero emission vehicle by 2050 and is investing £500m between 2015 and 2020 to help deliver this. The long-term transition to ultra low emission vehicles can help improve local air quality, and will also lower UK greenhouse gas emissions and provide high value jobs and growth, but our modelling suggests that even very rapid uptake can have only a marginal impact on today’s air quality problems because of the time taken to turn over the vehicle fleet.We are aware that a number of local authorities have been assessing electric car charging point requirements in air quality management areas.The Government is considering future grid and chargepoint requirements as part of its planning for this transition. The UK already has the largest network of rapid chargepoints across Europe and over 6000 publically accessible chargepoints have been part-funded by the Government. We will continue to collaborate with industry to ensure that the UK’s infrastructure network meets the needs of electric vehicle drivers.

Transport: Biofuels

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of biopropane for transport fuel.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has assessed the potential of liquid petroleum gas as a replacement for diesel in (a) passenger cars, (b) taxis, (c) HGVs, (d) vans and (e) public sector fleets.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has met vehicle manufacturers to discuss the availability of liquid petroleum gas vehicle models in the UK market and their potential effect on air quality.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department has provided to local authorities to improve air quality using liquid petroleum gas; and what further such support his Department has planned.

Andrew Jones: As part of a consultation in 2014 on amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) the department considered the potential benefits of biopropane in delivering GHG savings. In recognition of this, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation was subsequently amended to increase rewards for suppliers of that fuel from April 2015.The department, working with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, have evaluated a range of options for tackling poor air quality; this formed the basis of the Government’s draft air quality plans that recently went to public consultation. Switching to LPG can provide air quality benefits but may not be easily deployed in all vehicle types.As part of the department’s 2014 Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant scheme, Birmingham City Council were awarded £500,000 to enable the conversion of 80 older black cabs from diesel to LPG which will help improve air quality on some of the most polluted roads. There is a possibility of funding through the current CVTF grant scheme being used to support further LPG conversions in other areas.We are considering many competing priorities across Government as part of the Spending Review, including measures to tackle air quality pollutants and reduce other harmful emissions. The outcome of the Spending Review will be announced later in the autumn.The department regularly meets with motor manufacturers and their representative body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Discussions on how manufacturers can act to tackle poor air quality cover a range of measures.

Roads: Accidents

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the amount paid in road user compensation claims by local authorities in England outside London from 2012-13 to 2013-14.

Andrew Jones: The management and defence of insurance claims on the local highway network is entirely a matter for local highway authorities.The Department for Transport’s road condition statistics for 2013-14 suggest an improvement to the local road network, since 2012-13.The Department supports local authorities to manage their road networks efficiently and effectively, with record funding of £6billion from 2015 to 2021. Also, from 2016-17, the Department is introducing a Local Highways Maintenance Incentive Fund, to reward those authorities who are demonstrating good practice in this regard. The assessment of local authorities’ eligibility for this Fund includes scoring of the effectiveness of their asset management and risk management approaches.

Bus Services: Commuters

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the contribution made by bus commuters to economic output in the last year for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has not estimated the contribution made by bus commuters to economic output. According to the latest statistical data, available for 2014 from the National Travel Survey, an estimated 8% of all commuting trips (including private transport) in England are made by bus.According to the same data source, 40% of all commuting trips made by public transport in England are made by bus, which is why I am pleased to see that bus fares in the period 2010-2015 have risen at a slower rate in real terms than in the period 2005-2010.For non-London residents, an estimated 6% of all commuting trips and 52% of all public transport commuting trips are made by bus. London residents use buses for 16% of all commuting trips, and bus trips make up 28% of all public transport commuting.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many roads were resurfaced in 2014-15.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport regularly publishes Official Statistics on how many roads managed by local highway authorities were resurfaced. Figures for 2014/15 are not currently available and will be published in the next annual Road Conditions in England statistical release, provisionally scheduled for March 2016.Poorly maintained local roads are a menace to all road users. The Government is committed to helping local authorities end the misery caused by potholes. Between 2010 and 2015 we increased funding by £1 billion from the previous five year period (2005-10) and have also pledged a further £6 billion of funding to 2021. It is the first time councils have been given locked-in funding over this length of time, which will help them plan ahead and save money for the taxpayer. This increased funding will also reward those areas that demonstrate they are delivering value for money in carrying out cost effective improvements.The Department does not publish Official Statistics on resurfacing for the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The Highways Agency Annual Report for 2014/15 states that 2,900 lane kilometres of resurfacing took place on the SRN in that year. This report can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-agency-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015. Over the course of this Parliament we plan to resurface 80% of the Strategic Road Network.

Public Transport: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of progress on Total Transport pilots.

Andrew Jones: In March this year 37 rural local authorities in England were allocated £7.6m funding to pilot Total Transport Schemes in their areas. This initiative is examining how existing resources can be allocated and co-ordinated more efficiently.The pilots are being run over a two-year period and individual schemes are currently in progress. There will be a review around April next year.

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the retesting of Volkswagen vehicles being carried out by the Vehicle Certification Agency includes testing for carbon dioxide emissions.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Volkswagen on irregularities in the levels of carbon dioxide emissions from cars manufactured by that firm; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions, on what dates and by what medium he has had with Volkswagen about the reliability of carbon dioxide emissions data for its vehicles; and what response he has received from Volkswagen in those discussions.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Volkswagen vehicles have been retested for emissions by the Vehicle Certification Agency to date; what the outcome of those retests has been; how many vehicles are still to be retested; and when he expects all retests to be completed.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the extent to which emissions type approval requirements are met during normal on road usage of each category of road vehicle.

Andrew Jones: The Government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen (VW) Group extremely seriously. As we investigate what went wrong and what we can do to stop it happening again, the priority of course remains to protect the public. We expect VW to take every step necessary to protect its UK customers, but it is right that the Government carry out their own thorough and independent investigation.A written statement was made today (10 November) informing the House of the latest developments on the Department for Transport’s vehicle emissions testing programme, following the revelations that VW had fitted defeat devices to some of its vehicles.The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is working to confirm that this issue is not industry wide. They have tested two VW group vehicles known to contain a defeat device and will rerun laboratory tests on popular cars sold in the UK to compare real world driving emissions against laboratory performance. This will include measuring CO2 .The Secretary of State spoke to Dr Herbert Deiss of VW on 4 November to discuss CO2 emissions, seeking information on those vehicles affected in the UK and the extent of the discrepancy. VW have stated that they are working hard to clarify the situation and are liaising with relevant approval authorities.The Secretary of State has written jointly with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to VW seeking clarification on several issues. Separately, officials from the Department for Transport, and its Agencies have held a number of discussions with VW regarding the recall of affected vehicles.The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of on road emissions in relation to type approval requirements, but officials are aware of the findings in published reports suggesting significant differences.

Transport: Technology

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of Innovate UK's contribution to the development of technologies in (a) aviation, (b) road transport and (c) ports and shipping.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport (DfT) works collaboratively with Innovate UK through a range of mechanisms to support technological development and innovation in all modes of transport. DfT and Innovate UK work together to support wider government objectives to develop the nation's science and research capability to support UK economic growth. However, the Department has not made any separate assessment of Innovate UK’s contribution to the development of technologies in the transport sector. Innovate UK undertakes well established economic evaluations on the effectiveness and impact of its activities and are reported to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, as Innovate UK's departmental sponsor.

Motor Vehicles: Foreign Nationals

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many foreign vehicles that had overstayed the permitted six months in the UK were identified as a result of the information sharing trial between the police service and HM Revenue and Customs that ran from November 2014 to February 2015; how many such vehicles were impounded; how much was raised in fines in that trial; and what plans his Department has to introduce such a scheme permanently.

Andrew Jones: During the trial the police used a combination of information provided by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and on-road interviews to establish whether a vehicle had overstayed the six-month exemption and/or if the vehicle keeper was a resident in the UK.Of the 703 vehicles impounded during the trial, 162 were included in the HMRC’s data set.The table below shows the amounts awarded by the courts following successful prosecutions:FinesCosts awarded to the DVLABack Duty paid£40,259£12,540£12,215.10The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) also received £20,751 from out of court settlement payments.The trial was carried out from within existing resources.A full analysis of the trial is underway and will inform the way forward. Police forces which are authorised by the DVLA to seize unlicensed vehicles continue to target non-compliant foreign registered vehicles.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the finalised route phase two of the High Speed 2 rail line; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have committed to setting out the Government’s plan for the HS2 Phase Two route in an update to the House before the end of this year.

A5225

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to review the transport provision on the A5225.

Andrew Jones: Transport provision on the A5225 is a matter for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and its constituent local highway authorities, and my Department therefore has no plans to review this provision. I understand that as part of the development of its Key Route Network, Greater Manchester is currently undertaking a baseline assessment of its highway network, including primary routes between Wigan and Bolton.

A5225: Bolton West

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there has been a review of the transport provision on the A5225 in Bolton West constituency since the proposals for the Westhoughton bypass were cancelled.

Andrew Jones: The revised version of the A5225 Wigan to Westhoughton Bypass scheme was considered by the Labour government in 1997-98 which concluded that this proposed M6 to M61 link was not of strategic national importance to merit inclusion in the core national trunk road network. The relevant local highway authorities – Bolton MBC and Wigan MBC – were therefore invited to consider the best way forward.Transport provision in the A5225 area is now a matter for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and its constituent local highway authorities. The Combined Authority has well established mechanisms for identifying and promoting local transport investment priorities to support its strategies. These resulted, initially, in the Greater Manchester Transport Fund programme and have subsequently informed City Deal, Growth Deal and Devolution Deal agreements since 2010. This scheme has not formed part of any priority programme put forward by Greater Manchester. The Combined Authority is currently undertaking a review of the local highway network as part of its proposals for establishing a Key Route Network and this will look at current performance to inform possible future investment priorities. This assessment will include primary routes between Wigan and Bolton.

Railways: South West

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Sir Peter Hendy's work to re-plan the Network Rail enhancements programme in Control Period 5, 2014-19, takes account of maximising the journey time benefit for the South West peninsula by use of the new high-speed AT300 trains which are due to be introduced in December 2018.

Claire Perry: Sir Peter Hendy has been asked to review Network Rail’s enhancement portfolio, so that works may be delivered over a more realistic timeframe. The terms of reference are clear that work is to be prioritised to take “particular account of interfaces with other infrastructure programmes and the need to deliver the required passenger and freight benefits, franchise or rolling stock commitments”. Sir Peter Hendy is due to report later in the Autumn.

Department for Transport: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will require Heathrow Airport Limited to respond publicly to the recommendations of the Airport Commission that, in order to mitigate the effects of a third runway at Heathrow, (a) there should be a commitment in Parliament not to build a fourth runway, (b) there should be a ban on all scheduled night flights in the period 11.30pm to 6.00am, (c) a third runway should allow periods of predictable respite to be more reliably maintained and (d) additional operations at an expanded Heathrow Airport must be contingent on acceptable performance on air quality.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has yet to decide on the need for additional airport capacity and will not make any decisions on the next steps until it has considered the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.That being said, the Government recognises that effective mitigation measures to assuage any adverse effects airports may have on the surrounding environment and communities is essential to the success of any major airport; this allows everyone to share in the benefits airport expansion can bring.

Productivity

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government's report, Fixing the Foundations; creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) proposed changes to the rail industry and (b) the rail investment programme on productivity.

Claire Perry: The country’s railways are an important enabler of productivity and national prosperity, which is why the Government has committed to delivering investment of a record £38 billion across the country’s network.We have appointed Sir Peter Hendy as Chair of Network Rail to ensure the rail investment programme is delivered sustainably.We have also asked Nicola Shaw to advise Government on how we should approach the longer-term future shape and financing of Network Rail. She will publish her final report before Budget 2016. In addition, we have appointed Crossrail chair Terry Morgan to develop a transport and infrastructure skills strategy. We will consider their recommendations in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safeguards are in place to avoid mistakenly withdrawing motor tax following erroneous or malicious notification of cars being exported or going off road.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) requires specific information or documentation before it will process a notification that a vehicle has been exported or taken off the road.In order to be able to make such notifications electronically (where such a service is available) a unique reference number from the vehicle registration certificate and/or vehicle excise duty renewal letter must be used. This helps to ensure that it is the registered keeper of the vehicle making the notification.If the notification cannot be made electronically, the registered keeper must use the appropriate section of the vehicle registration certificate or write to the DVLA.When the off road or export notification has updated the DVLA’s records, a refund of any remaining vehicle excise duty will be issued to the registered keeper. Unexpectedly receiving this payment should prompt the keeper to contact the DVLA if they did not make the notification themselves.

East Coast Railway Line: Level Crossings

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Network Rail has not yet published a timetable to close 73 dangerous level crossings on the East Cost Main Line; and what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail over the East Coast Main Line level crossing closure programme.

Claire Perry: Network Rail has already closed over 900 level crossings since 2009 and the Department is supporting this work through a dedicated £109 million level crossing risk reduction fund during 2014-19. There are currently around 6,200 level crossings remaining on the main line network. Network Rail’s feasibility study, completed in June 2015, has identified preferred options for the closure of all 73 level crossings on the East Coast Main Line.The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Network Rail on this matter since the programme is an operational issue for the company.

Agility Trains

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much compensation the Government is liable for in its contract with Agility Trains in the event that the new IEP fleet cannot be introduced according to its planned timescales due to delays to either (a) the Great Western Mainline electrification programme or (b) East Coat Mainline IEP enabling works.

Mr Robert Goodwill: During the period 2009-10 to date, the following numbers of ministers have been entitled to use Government cars:2009-1042010-1142011-1242012-1342013-1442014-1552015-165As a result of a series of changes, including closure of the Government mail service, overall operating costs have fallen from £20.956m in 2010/11 to £6.325m in 2014/15. During the same period the number of vehicles in the GCS for use by ministers have fallen from 227 to 78.

Cycling and Walking: Children

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of children have (a) walked and (b) cycled to school in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Please see below the proportion and amount of children using walking and cycling to school. The years shown are approximately calendar years and not academic years. The figures for 2015 will be published at a later date.PercentagesWalkingCycling2005471.62006462.42007461.32008442.12009442.42010421.62011432.32012412.12013421.32014422.3Actual Amounts to the nearest hundredWalkingCycling20053,509,700123,10020063,465,900183,70020073,459,900100,10020083,219,000161,00020093,246,500179,30020103,109,200124,70020113,194,200172,50020123,006,000159,70020133,094,100100,30020143,175,200177,300

Cycling

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what take-up there has been of the cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme since it started.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not retain data on the uptake of the Cycle to Work scheme. The Scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit.However the Cycle to Work Alliance has published reports containing information on take up of the scheme: http://www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk/news.html, and they state that in 2014 record numbers of employees participated in the cycle to work scheme.

Department for Transport: Government Car Service

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will name the people in his Department who are entitled to use the Government Car Service.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport currently has two Government cars available for use by its 5 Ministers.As a result of a series of changes, including closure of the Government mail service, overall operating costs have fallen from £20.956m in 2010/11 to £6.325m in 2014/15. During the same period the number of vehicles in the GCS for use by ministers have fallen from 227 to 78.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated value of Network Rail was on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry: As at 31 March 2015 Network Rail’s Net Assets totalled £6,391 million.

Productivity

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of his road investment strategy on productivity.

Andrew Jones: The Road Investment Strategy provides certainty about road investment ensuring more efficient operation and faster delivery for the English strategic road network. It sets out the vision and investment plan for a five year period from 2015 to 2020, encouraging the supply chain to invest and innovate from the long term certainty that this provides. Highways England is responsible for delivering the strategy and has been set a series of demanding targets by Government, which is regularly assessed, including independent monitoring by the Office of Rail and Road.The combination of the measures will save the taxpayer £1.2 billion in the next 5 years and at least £2.6 billion over ten years. It also means clearer accountability and greater transparency, providing better assurance on the investment of public money.

Department for Transport: Government Car Service

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people in his Department have been entitled to use the Government Car Service in each year since 2009-10.

Claire Perry: I am committed to ensuring that the trains enter service as planned. Contractual details regarding any compensation is commercially confidential.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Traffic Regulation Orders have been introduced by local authorities to tackle pavement parking since 2011.

Andrew Jones: This information is not held. Local authorities have powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to make Traffic Regulation Orders and the Department for Transport is not involved in this process.

Virgin Trains: Rolling Stock

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the safety and speed of evacuation from Virgin (a) Pendolino and (b) Voyager trains in the event of an emergency.

Claire Perry: The procedures for evacuation in an emergency are a matter for train operating companies. As the relevant safety duty holders they are best placed to identify any risks or hazards arising from the services they offer with oversight from the Office of Rail and Road as the independent railway safety regulator.The UK already has one of the safest railways in Europe and the conditions which might necessitate a train evacuation are extremely rare. However, we must not be complacent and are working with the industry to further improve safety performance.

Wolverhampton Station

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish a timetable for the refurbishment of Wolverhampton train station.

Claire Perry: The refurbishment of Wolverhampton train station is part of the Wolverhampton Interchange Scheme, which is being driven forward by a partnership of Wolverhampton City Council, Centro, Neptune, Network Rail, Virgin Trains and the Canal and River Trust. The Department is not leading on this project.

Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect that the decision of the Quality Contract Scheme board on the Quality Contract proposed to be run by Nexus for Tyne and Wear will have on city devolution deals.

Andrew Jones: The Quality Contract Scheme Board’s report concerns an individual case brought under existing legislation. It is not about the bus franchising powers which will be included in the Buses Bill.The Government is determined that local transport authorities with ambitious plans to grow and develop should be given the powers they need, and we will legislate through the Buses Bill to deliver on our devolution commitments.

Virgin Trains: Rolling Stock

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will discuss with Virgin Trains its replacing the ageing Voyager fleet rolling stock.

Claire Perry: The Voyager fleet was introduced in 2001/2 to provide high speed services on routes which could only be served by Diesel Trains and is primarily operated by Virgin on routes to Chester and Holyhead. We will consider train fleet options as part of the upcoming ICWC franchise competition.

Airports: Egypt

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the airport security at Hurghada and Safaga airports in Egypt.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government’s first priority is the safety and security of British citizens. We keep aviation security arrangements under close review and we will act where we need to, as we have done in the case of Sharm el-Sheikh. It would be inappropriate to comment in detail on security arrangements.

Taxis

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the report by the Law Commission on tax; and private hire services, published in May 2014.

Andrew Jones: The Government is currently considering the Law Commission’s comprehensive report on reforming taxi and private hire vehicle legislation. In line with the protocol that exists between the Government and the Law Commission, the Government will formally respond to the Law Commission and announce its intentions once this scrutiny is completed.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Brandon Lewis: Our estimation of the value of stationery that has been lost and stolen from the Department for Communities and Local Government is zero for each of the previous five fiscal years.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nigeria: Boko Haram

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent conversations he has had with his Nigerian counterpart on steps to eliminate Boko Haram.

James Duddridge: We regularly discuss Boko Haram with the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels. The Prime Minister discussed the issue with President Buhari in September and my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), Minister of State at the Department for International Development, raised it with senior Nigerian officials, including the Nigerian National Security Adviser, during his visit to Abuja in October. We will continue to raise this issue with Ministers in the Nigerian Government, including with the Foreign Minister, once they have been appointed.

Gulf States

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had during his recent visit to the Gulf states to encourage those states to increase their involvement in the (a) war against ISIL and (b) resolution of the refugee situation in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign Secretary discussed the counter ISIL effort with all the countries that he visited during his recent trip to the Gulf, which included Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. We will continue to work intensively with Gulf States to deal with ISIL, both bilaterally and multilaterally, including under the auspices of the Global Coalition to counter-ISIL.Our partners in the Gulf share our view that ISIL presents a threat to regional stability. Several of them have suffered from ISIL attacks in their homelands, and many host large numbers of refugees fleeing Assad’s and ISIL’s brutality. They are committed to defeating ISIL, and fully recognise that coordinated international action is the best way to achieve that. All the countries that the Foreign Secretary visited during his recent trip are working to defeat ISIL, including as part of the Global Coalition to counter-ISIL.As a result of the Syrian crisis, there are now over 4 million refugees from Syria in neighbouring countries. All of the countries that the Foreign Secretary visited are in agreement with us that a political solution is the only way to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Ilois: Resettlement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) EU organisations, (b) UN organisations and (c) charities regarding potential partial funding of the resettlement of Chagossians in the Chagos Archipelago.

James Duddridge: The Government has undertaken a wide public consultation on the resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which concluded on 27 October. Officials are now analysing the responses, and ministers will consider these alongside a range of options to address Chagossian aspirations. We will need to take into account the high cost associated with resettlement, as well as the open-ended liabilities it could incur. We need to also ensure the military facility on Diego Garcia can continue to operate unhindered. No decision has yet been made about whether to allow a resettlement, and because of that, no discussions have yet been had with any external funding organisation.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's primary objectives are at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Mr Hugo Swire: The 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is an opportunity to demonstrate the continued relevance of the organisation in the 21st century. The British Government will pursue its commitment to strengthen the Commonwealth’s focus on promoting democratic values and development. We will also use the Heads of Government Meeting to shape a Commonwealth role in implementing the new Sustainable Development Goals, and consider how the organisation can help address other global challenges. A new Secretary General will also be announced at this meeting.The Heads of Government Meeting also takes place the week before the Paris Climate Conference. The British Government will therefore use the meeting as an opportunity to build support amongst Commonwealth members for an ambitious agenda and targets.

Iraq: Iran

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support people affected by the rocket attack on Camp Liberty, Baghdad, on 29 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We strongly condemn the shameful attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on 29 October. Officials from our Embassy in Baghdad raised the attack with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office on 30 October and made clear the importance of an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensuring that all those responsible are brought to justice.In all of our engagement with the Government of Iraq on this issue, including at Ministerial level and in our statements, we have emphasised the importance of the Iraqi Government doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty. We support the United Nations’ calls for more to be done to protect the residents.

Nepal: Borders

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Indian government on re-opening border crossings to Nepal.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Acting Ambassador in Nepal, and many other Heads of Mission, has discussed the blockage at the border with the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, most recently on 30 October. The British High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan, called on Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar on 7 October to raise the situation in Nepal with him; and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Director for South Asia and Afghanistan also raised it with Mr Jaishankar during his visit to India from 12-13 October. We continue to engage with India and seek to work with them to help resolve the crisis in Nepal.

Tourism: Elephants

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that UK citizens travelling to India, Thailand and other elephant-range states are made aware of the illegal practice of capturing and breaking the spirit of baby elephants for use in the tourist industry.

Mr Hugo Swire: The United Kingdom is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, particularly from poaching and cross-border, illegal trade in live animals to feed the demand by the tourist and entertainment industries. We have been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in discussion with elephant range states, such as India and Thailand, to increase protection for Asian elephants. In 2014, we secured agreement in 2014 for elephant range states to put in place measures to prevent illegal trade in live elephants.Although it is not for the Government to make British citizens aware of this practice, we will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as non-governmental organisations, on protecting elephants.

India: Elephants

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indian counterpart on the illegal use of bull-hooks on Asian elephants in the tourism and logging industries.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2015 (PQs 12817, 13418, 13419) which can be located at:www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral Answer of 22 October 2015, Official Report, column 444WH, what steps he has taken to assess whether British-manufactured arms have been used in a responsible manner in Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by all sides to the conflict and keep these under regular review. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Government and have received repeated assurances of IHL compliance. We continue to engage with them on those assurances and urge all sides to investigate such incidents fully.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral Answer of 22 October 2015, Official Report, column 445WH, what steps he has since taken to try and persuade the parties to the conflict to adopt an immediate ceasefire in Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The UK is actively supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and return to the political transition in Yemen, and I welcome the recent announcement by the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen on upcoming talks. All Yemeni parties should engage without preconditions and in good faith in these talks to allow Yemen to move towards a sustainable peace. I therefore welcome President Hadi’s announcement confirming the readiness of the Government of Yemen to participate in the consultations. I discussed the need to accelerate the political process in Yemen, as well as humanitarian issues, with President Hadi in September; with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia during a visit to Riyadh in October; and with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed also in October.

North Korea: Diplomatic Relations

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many Democratic People's Republic of Korea officials the British Embassy in Pyonyang has met in the last year; and how many such officials were women.

Mr Hugo Swire: The British Embassy in Pyongyang met a range of officials from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) over the past year in support of UK policy objectives. This contact enables our Embassy to deliver our policy of “critical engagement” with the DPRK, and helps inform our diplomatic reporting and analysis. However, given the breadth of contact, it is not practical for the Embassy to maintain a list of all individual meetings.

North Korea: Human Rights

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request information from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the measures it has taken to meet the recommendations of the UN Universal Periodic Review.

Mr Hugo Swire: We consistently raise concerns over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) appalling human rights record. In late October, a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) official met the DPRK Ambassador to the United Kindom and pressed for the DPRK to make tangible progress in addressing these concerns. We believe that implementation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations presents an opportunity for progress to be made on human rights in DPRK. Earlier in October, a senior FCO official met the International Organisations Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, responsible for DPRK engagement on human rights at the UN, and requested details of their implementation plans for the UPR’s recommendations. We were informed the accepted recommendations were being discussed by the relevant domestic DPRK institutions. We will continue to raise the need for implementation plans to be shared.

India: Elephants

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Prime Minister of India during his forthcoming visit the welfare of elephants being trained to work in the tourism industry in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are very much looking forward to Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit, which gives us an opportunity to discuss a range of issues. We will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as STAE and other non-governmental organisations, on protecting elephants.

Russia: Submarines

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential for Russia to use submarines to monitor internet traffic through undersea cables.

Mr David Lidington: Her Majesty's Government continually assesses a range of possible threats to the UK’s infrastructure and interests.

Syria: Refugees

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Syrian children in Europe who are (a) vulnerable to trafficking and (b) unaccompanied.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



As of 2 November the number of people arriving in Europe had reached 745,229 according to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Of these 149,045 are children, including around 79,000 Syrian children. Humanitarian organisations are expecting that, given the rate of arrivals, a total of 225,000 children will need assistance between September and December 2015. All of these are considered to be vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

South Sudan: Politics and Government

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the creation of 28 states in South Sudan on the prospects for peace in that region.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



With our Troika partners, the United States and Norway, we issued a statement on 6th October expressing serious concern at President Kiir’s announcement of 2nd October concerning the creation of 28 states in South Sudan, as it contradicts the Government of South Sudan’s stated commitment to implement the peace agreement. The full text of this statement can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement

Companies: Ownership

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in Anguilla will include access for the public with legitimate reason.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, to questions 10437, 10438 and 10448, which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.We are continuing our dialogue with the Anguilla authorities on this and have offered any technical support that might be required as they develop their proposals.

Mexico: Supreme Court

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the elections to the Mexican Supreme Court.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are following developments in the appointment of new judges to the Mexican Supreme Court closely, and note the commentary on the need for well qualified, independent candidates to be put forward to the Senate.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report revealed deep-rooted and historical challenges which will take time for the Government of Bahrain to address fully. The BICI put forward 26 recommendations. As a trusted partner we will continue to offer practical and technical assistance to help the authorities deliver reforms that benefit all Bahrainis.

Russia: Foreign Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) staff of which grades and (b) desk teams were working on Russia in his Department in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2013, (iv) 2014 and (v) the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Burma: Sexual Offences

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on incidents of sexual violence committed by the Burmese army; and what representations he has made to the Burmese government on that matter.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Burma: Elections

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reported irregularities in the run-up to the Burmese election.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Women's League of Burma

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Women's League of Burma.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Syria: Military Intervention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Russian counterpart on recent Russian military action in Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Education: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on further plans to increase the provision of shared and integrated education.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on ensuring that as many schools as possible receive Shared Education Signature Project funding.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government communicates with the Northern Ireland Executive frequently on a wide range of issues.As part of ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, the ‘economic pact’, the Government committed to provide £100 million of additional borrowing to help support specific shared housing and education projects.Through the Stormont House Agreement the Government committed to make substantial capital funding available, up to £500 million over 10 years, to help support shared and integrated education in Northern Ireland. This funding is subject to the full implementation of the Stormont House Agreement and individual projects being agreed between the Executive and the Government.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from The Law Officers' Departments in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Robert Buckland: All of the Law Officers’ Departments exercise appropriate controls over the purchasing and issue of stationery to mitigate against any potential for material loss or theft. However no central records are held of stationery items that may have been lost or stolen and it is therefore not possible to make any estimates without incurring a disproportionate cost.

National Fund

Mr Nick Hurd: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2015 to Question 10237, when he expects to publish proposals for the future of the National Debt Fund.

Jeremy Wright: I refer my Hon. Friend to my Answer of 17 September 2015. Work is on-going on the possible application to the court for directions on the future of the National Fund, consistent with its object of extinguishing or reducing the national debt. I am also continuing to consider other options. I will update my Hon. Friend as soon as I can.

Attorney General: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, which regulations his Office introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Office expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s Office has not introduced any regulations as a result of EU legislation over the past three years and has no plans to do so during the next two years.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Students: Loans

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the portion of loan outlay that will never be repaid by graduates who have undertaken (a) full-time and (b) part-time higher education degrees.

Joseph Johnson: (a) We estimate that the proportion of the value of full time loans which will not be repaid is around 45%.(b) Our current estimate is that around 40% of the value of part time loans will not be repaid. We will update our estimate as we get more information on the actual repayments from students taking out these loans.

Graduates

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the number of graduates who are (a) unemployed and (b) not in high-skilled jobs.

Joseph Johnson: The Department publishes labour market statistics for English domiciled graduates and postgraduates relative to non-graduates as part of the Graduate Labour Market Statistics series. The latest figures refer to the quarter from April to June 2015 and are available at the link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/graduate-labour-market-statistics-april-to-june-2015

Students: Suicide

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to address rates of university students taking their own lives.

Joseph Johnson: The Government takes these issues seriously. Higher Education Institutions, as autonomous and independent bodies, have clear legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with mental health conditions.Ensuring the wellbeing of students is important to our universities. Institutions are best placed to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students and to ensure mechanisms are in place to identify students in need.There is a great deal of guidance and support available to institutions from a range of sector and medical bodies. In February 2015, Universities UK published a Good Practice Guide on, student mental wellbeing in higher education. It aims to support institutions in building and improving their provision for students with mental health problems including to help prevent suicide.The Department of Health also published a cross-government suicide prevention strategy in September 2012, ‘Preventing Suicide in England.’ The objectives of the strategy are to reduce suicide and support people bereaved or affected by suicide.

Energy

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on developing energy policy.

Anna Soubry: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has had a number of recent discussions with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on energy policy.

Degrees

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Government's report, Fixing the Foundations; creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, what assessment he has made of the effect on productivity of allowing education providers to offer degrees independently of universities.

Joseph Johnson: Opening up the higher education sector to new high quality providers will encourage diversity and competition to help drive up the quality of teaching and, in turn, the contribution of graduates to the economy. Further details on these proposals are set out in my Department’s Green Paper “Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice” published on 6 November.

Wales Office

Devolution: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how the Government plans to monitor and enforce clause 2 of the draft Wales Bill.

Stephen Crabb: Clause 2 of the draft Wales Bill will place the existing convention that Parliament will not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent of the National Assembly for Wales on a statutory footing. The Government will continue to work with the Welsh Government to obtain the Assembly’s consent (via legislative consent motions) to legislation in devolved areas included in parliamentary Bills. Similarly,where Welsh Government is legislating in relation to the functions of reserved authorities, they should seek the consent of UK ministers, and the draft bill makes this clear.

Devolution: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for what reasons the draft Wales Bill would seek to change the criteria on which the Assembly could legislate outside its normal competence, as set out in section 108(5) of the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Stephen Crabb: The purpose of the reserved powers model in the draft Wales Bill is to define clearly the legislative competence reserved to the UK Parliament. At the same time, it enables the Assembly to modify the law in areas that would otherwise be reserved to enforce, or otherwise give effect to, its legislation.It is right that this freedom should be balanced by a test to be applied when the Assembly seeks to modify the law in areas that are not devolved. For that reason the draft Bill defines the circumstances in which it can do so and the test to be applied – the test of necessity. This gives the Assembly flexibility to modify the law in areas outside devolved competence in order to enforce its legislation effectively, whilst ensuring the effect on these areas goes no further than necessary.

Devolution: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the draft Wales Bill, for what reason it is his policy to remove the wording of the Government of Wales Act 2006 which states that an Act of the Assembly may make any provision that could be made by an Act of Parliament.

Stephen Crabb: The current conferred powers model of Welsh devolution sets out what an Assembly Act can do. In contrast, a reserved powers model need only set out what an Assembly Act cannot do. Under the draft Wales Bill an Assembly Act would be able to include any provision that is not outside the Assembly’s legislative competence. The wording is not therefore needed.

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with headteachers on (a) expanding childcare and (b) developing a right for parents to request that schools provide childcare.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Childcare Bill on the number of nurseries within schools.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Schools are an important provider of high quality early education and childcare, and the government has already improved the regulatory framework and supported schools to help them deliver more places for children. We are actively working with schools and others to identify and share good practice and learning across the system so that more schools can offer flexible, full-day nursery provision either themselves or in partnership with others. This work will feed directly into the Early Implementation pilots of the 30 hours entitlement in 2016.As a part of this, officials have had a number of discussions with unions, including the National Association of Headteachers about the 30 hours entitlement, and have met them on the new parental right to request before school, after school and holiday childcare for school-aged children. We continue to work closely with unions and other representative bodies to assess how both of these policies will work in practice, and intend to work collaboratively with them on implementation. A full economic impact assessment and new burdens assessment will be carried out in due course.

Children: Day Care

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to (a) evaluate the piloting of 30 hours free childcare from September 2016 and (b) publish the outcome of such an evaluation.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have had 1793 expressions of interest for the pilots of the 30 hours of free childcare for working families. These will commence in September 2016. Innovative childcare providers are being asked to come forward as the first to deliver the offer. We plan to build a strong evaluation strand into the work of the early implementers focusing primarily on qualitative evaluation and capturing and sharing lessons learned and good practice.

Department for Education: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Nick Gibb: Information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be estimated only at disproportionate cost.

Children: Day Care

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of increasing free childcare provision to 30 hours per week on (a) the number of childcare places, (b) child to adult ratios in nursery settings and (c) the number of nurseries which offer free childcare provision.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Introducing the new entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for working parents will require growth in the childcare market which the Government is confident can be achieved. We know that many working families with three- and four-year-olds already use more than 15 hours of childcare so many of the required childcare places already exist. We also believe that there is some existing spare capacity in the system to help deliver the new entitlement. The Government is committed to keeping the existing child to adult ratios and has no plans to change them to deliver the extended entitlement.We have already made significant progress in ensuring that there are more childcare places available with an increase of 230,000 places since 2009. Furthermore, data from the Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey (2013) showed that 97% of full day care settings that took three and four-year-olds offered funded places. The childcare sector is healthy, vibrant and growing. During the last Parliament, it demonstrated its ability to respond to the extension of the free entitlement to disadvantaged two-year-olds.

Schools

Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effects of open-plan teaching facilities on pupils' learning; and what provision is available to assist schools with conversion of facilities from an open-plan layout where that layout is shown to be having a detrimental effect on learning.

Edward Timpson: The Department has not made any formal assessment of the overall effects of open-plan teaching facilities on pupil’s learning.On 9 February 2015 the government announced £4.2bn of allocations to schools, local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided partners to fund the improvement and maintenance of our schools. This includes £1.4bn in 2015-16.While we would expect this money to be spent first on making sure that existing school buildings are in good condition, it is for these bodies to decide how to prioritise the funding, according to local needs.In 2015-16, the Department spent £8 million on improvements to large open teaching areas in academies which had been built under the Building Schools for the Future programme, where independent evidence suggested this was having a detrimental effect on good teaching and learning.

Schools: Textbooks

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average amount spent on new school textbooks in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not collect data on the specific amount schools spend on textbooks.The department publishes the amount of money spent on educational resources, including textbooks. This information is published in releases which can be found online at GOV.UK.[1][1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-education-and-childrens-services-spending-2013-to-2014https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2013-to-2014

Secondary Education: Uniforms

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the average cost of a new uniform for secondary school students.

Nick Gibb: The Department published a report on 25 June 2015 which examined the changes in the cost of school uniform, for both primary and secondary schools, since 2007. The full report is available on GOV.UK at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniform-2015Our guidance includes the recommendation that governing bodies ‘consider the cost, the available supply sources and year round availability of the proposed uniform to ensure it is providing best value for money for parents’.

Sixth Form Colleges

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect on the financial sustainability of sixth form colleges of (a) VAT and (b) pension costs; and if she will estimate the average proportion of a sixth form college's budget which is spent on those costs.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) regularly assesses the financial viability of sixth-form colleges on behalf of the department. Those assessments take account of all income and costs for colleges, including costs relating to VAT and pension liabilities.The department estimates that VAT accounts for about 3% of sixth form colleges’ expenditure each year.With regards to pension costs, sixth-form colleges may contribute to a number of pension schemes. The SFC financial returns are available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-financial-management-college-accounts and show employer contributions to pensions. The EFA does not routinely collect data on the cost of other pension schemes through financial returns.

Children: Day Care

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to clause 1 of the Childcare Bill, what categories of childcare provider she plans to include in an independent review of the free childcare entitlement funding system.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I announced in the summer that a government review of the cost of providing childcare was underway. The review which began well before clause 1 was inserted into the Bill, is being led by the Department with external support from Deloitte. Findings from the review will inform decisions made as part of the Spending Review.The government review is considering a significant body of evidence on the provision of childcare across a range of provider types, including private, voluntary and independent providers, childminders and schools. As part of the review, we have engaged extensively with providers from across the sector. Our call for evidence received over 2000 responses, the majority of which were from providers and our online questionnaire had over 19,300 responses. We held a series of roundtables over the summer across the country and have also worked with 10 large employers (including Carillion, John Lewis Partnership, Rolls Royce and BT), and through them have engaged over 180 parents in a series of events. These have provided a valuable opportunity to engage with providers face to face.

Children: Day Care

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of increasing free childcare provision to 30 hours per week on the number of nurseries which offer free childcare.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Introducing the new entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for working parents will require growth in the childcare market and the government is confident this will be achieved. Since 2009, 230, 000 places have been created.It is of course essential that the funding for the entitlement is right to ensure that a sufficient number of nurseries are able to deliver it. The government has already committed to an increase to the average funding rate paid to providers.The government’s review on the cost of providing childcare will inform decisions on a rate that is fair and sustainable for providers. Findings from the review will feed directly into the Spending Review which will be published on 25 November.

Pupils: Bullying

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department intends to take to reduce the number of children who do not attend school due to bullying.

Edward Timpson: No child should be frightened of going to school because they might be bullied.All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying and they are held closely to account by Ofsted for their effectiveness. Inspectors consider pupil behaviour and welfare, including how well schools prevent and tackle bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour.We are also providing a total of £1.3 million of funding over 12 months from April 2015 to the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau to work with schools to prevent bullying and deal with its impact when it occurs. This is in addition to the £4 million provided in 2013/15. We are also providing £2 million this year to help schools tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.Good schools create an ethos of good behaviour where pupils treat each other and staff with courtesy and respect. Where bullying does happen schools should move to tackle it and provide support for the bullied child. We issued advice to schools last year to help them identify children that may be most vulnerable to bullying and how to provide support to ensure their mental health and wellbeing. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.

Supply Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of supply teacher recruitment in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Schools, academies and local authorities (LAs) are responsible for the recruitment and management of their supply teachers. This allows them to manage their resources and staffing structures in a way that meets local needs and priorities without central prescription from government.Information published from the School Workforce Census does not identify supply teachers specifically.

Supply Teachers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has conducted a review into the adequacy of the service provided by agencies supplying supply teachers to school; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Schools, academiesand local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and management of their supply teachers.This allows them to manage their resources and staffing structures in a way that meets local needs and priorities without central prescription from government.Supply agencies are independent of the Department for Education and decide their own recruitment practices but must comply with legislation set by the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate (EASI) – which covers other occupations not just teachers.

Free School Meals

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 1 December 2014 to Question 216015, what criteria her Department sets for eligibility for free school meals for households in receipt of universal credit.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Universal Credit is being rolled out in stages and the vast majority of households with children whose parents who are receiving in-work benefits will not transfer to Universal Credit until late 2016. The Department for Education is currently considering how the eligibility rules should change, and will consult on proposals ahead of their introduction.While this work is on-going, any child whose parent or guardian is receiving Universal Credit will continue to be entitled to free school meals.

Supply Teachers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of private agency supply teacher services in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Schools, academiesand local authorities are responsible for recruiting and managing their supply teachers and whether or not they use private supply agencies.Supply agency costs are a private commercial arrangement between schools, or local authorities, and individual supply agencies.Agency supply teacher spend data at national and local authority level is available in the following publications:For maintained schools - ‘Expenditure by Local Authorities and Schools on Education, Children and Young People’s Services: 2013-14’ (Table 3), at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-education-and-childrens-services-spending-2013-to-2014.For academy schools – ‘Income and expenditure in academies in England: 2013 to 2014’ (Raw data SATS table) at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2013-to-2014.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Staff

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the availability of staff and resources in prisons to enable (a) Christian, (b) Muslim and (c) Jewish religious services to take place.

Andrew Selous: Prisons are required to facilitate and enable religious services for all faiths. The availability of staff and resources to do this is kept under review locally. In addition, chaplaincy Headquarters advisers conduct annual assurance and compliance visits to monitor compliance. Advisers will make recommendations as appropriate and work with prisons to resolve any outstanding issues.

Courts: Closures

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2015 to Question 10800, when the potential closures of courts will be announced; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is currently in the process of assessing all responses to the consultation and I expect to announce the outcome of the consultation in due course.

Domestic Violence and Offences against Children: Court Orders

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complainants have agreed to special measures applied in court in cases of (a) childhood and (b) domestic abuse in the last five years.

Mike Penning: Please refer to previous PQ 13673. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service does not collect this data.

Ministry of Justice: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Dominic Raab: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Taxis: Guide Dogs

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will introduce new sentencing guidelines recommending strict penalties to assist magistrates in prosecuting caces under the Equality Act 2010 where a private hire or taxi driver has refused to provide transport to a visually impaired passenger and their guide dog.

Andrew Selous: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 September 2015 to Question 8187.

Criminal Proceedings: Fees and Charges

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his oral Answer to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn of 3 November 2015, Official Report, column 866, how much revenue the criminal courts charge has generated since its introduction.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Data relating to the Criminal Courts Charge and information on the enforcement of financial impositions is contained within an annex to Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly statistical bulletin published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics.The cost of enforcing the criminal courts charge cannot be separated from the total cost of enforcing all types of court ordered financial impositions. Enforcement action is taken against the total amount an offender owes and offenders are often ordered to pay more than one type of financial imposition.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the quality of the evidence presented by the Association of British Insurers on the continuing increases to motor insurance premiums being a result of fraudulent personal injury claims; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government is concerned about the incidence of fraudulent personal injury claims and the costs that they cause. The Insurance Fraud Taskforce is considering the evidence from a range of stakeholders, including the ABI, as part of its remit to make recommendations to tackle insurance fraud more generally.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Electronic Government

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of efficiency savings arising from his Department's digital strategies in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS has made significant savings by working with the Government Digital Service to streamline it's IT services, in line with other Government departments. Cabinet Office and DCMS now share a technology platform for common technology systems, which has allowed the Department to reduce its annual running IT costsfrom £3.79 million to £1.75 million – a saving of over £2 million per year (this does not include capital costs or costs associated with DCMS specific business systems or projects.) Due to costs associated with adapting to the new system, savings in 2014-15 were approximately a third of that.

Broadband: Business

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the cost to businesses of inconsistent broadband coverage in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Access to broadband is of vital importance to small businesses, which is why the Government-funded Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme has provided over 50,000 small and medium sized enterprises with access to high speed broadband.83 per cent of homes and businesses already have access to superfast broadband services, and thanks to the Government's investment in the superfast broadband rollout. This is set to rise to 95 per cent by the end of 2017.

FIFA

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with FIFA officials on the candidacy of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa for FIFA President.

Tracey Crouch: I have had no discussions with FIFA officials regarding candidates standing for the FIFA Presidency.

FIFA

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is his policy to support the candidacy of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa for FIFA President; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The candidacy of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim is a matter for the football authorities.

Cabinet Office: Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the funding was for the Digital Inclusion team in his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As announced by the Prime Minister in Written StatementHCWS278 on 29 October 2015, policy responsibility for digital inclusion transferred from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1 November 2015.Government is already investing in world class infrastructure (e.g. in the form of superfast broadband coverage) but access alone isn’t enough - people need the skills to benefit from online. The most recent funding figures available are £0.12m in 2013/14 and £0.30m in 2014/15. Our Digital Inclusion Strategy, published in April 2014, sets out how we plan to increase the level of digital engagement across the UK. Significantprogress in this area is already being made by public, private and voluntary sector organisations - dozens of which have signed up to the Digital Inclusion Charter.You can find more information on the Charter here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/uk-digital-inclusion-charter

Gambling

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will encourage gambling organisations to share information with each other to help identify people with gambling addictions.

Tracey Crouch: I welcome the gambling industry's efforts to identify those customers vulnerable to gambling related harm. I also encourage all gambling operators to make information available to the Responsible Gambling Trust to aid their research into problem gambling.

Gambling: Advertising

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure that the advertising of sports betting alongside televised sporting events is only broadcast after the 9pm watershed.

Tracey Crouch: Televisedgamblingadvertising in the UK is governed by the Advertising Codes which are maintained by the Broadcast Committee for Advertising Practice. This is supplemented by a self-regulatory industry code, the Industry Code for Socially ResponsibleGambling.

Gambling: Young People

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the extent of gambling addiction in young people in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Gambling Commission recently published the findings from a 2015 survey of gambling participation and problem gambling amongst 11-15 year olds. It found that 0.6% of 11-15 year olds being classified as problem gamblers. More information can be found here:http://www.natlotcomm.gov.uk/publications-and-research/research-programme/underage-play/ipsos-mori-young-people-omnibus-2015.html

Outdoor Recreation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the uptake of outdoor recreational activities by (a) children, (b) adults and (c) pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Government recognises the importance of encouraging more people to take up outdoor recreation. Through Sport England we are investing in a range of outdoor activities for people of all ages.Adults make 2.85 billion visits to the outdoors each year; 568 million visits are with children. The Government is set to present a new sport strategy, which willconsider the role of outdoor recreation in getting the nation active.

Television: Licensing

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many television licenses were purchased in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The estimated number of television licences in force over last five years is contained in the table below (answers given in millions).(Million)2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15England20.9021.0121.0921.2621.26Northern Ireland0.660.670.670.670.68Scotland2.202.202.212.222.21Wales1.251.261.261.271.27Channel Islands & Isle of Man0.090.090.090.090.0925.1025.2325.3425.4225.51Please note that:TV Licensing reports on the number of TV licences ‘in force’. The exact number of licences in force varies on a daily basis as people will be buying new licences and some will terminate payment schemes before full payment has been made.Estimated figures have been calculated by applying the proportion of licensed premises to the total number of licences in force.The number of licences premises is different to the number of licences in force as, in some cases, a premises may need more than one licence.These figures exclude concessionary licences for those living in residential care.

Department for Work and Pensions

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government applied to the European Commission globalisation adjustment fund to secure support funding for the British steel industry plants recently closed or under threat of closure.

Priti Patel: The European Globalisation Fund (EGF) provides a financial contribution for active labour market measures, aimed at reintegrating those made or at risk of being made redundant in the labour market.Member States are responsible in the first instance for tackling trade adjustment redundancies - the fund is therefore designed to add to national, regional and local assistance.The UK already offers a broad range of personalised support to workers made redundant through its Rapid Response Service and Jobcentre Plus, which could not be duplicated or substituted by EGF.The Rapid Response Service and the Jobcentre Plus Core Offer are effective reintegration tools which represent good value for money and are our primary and most effective means of response to support the industry.In addition to this, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has also announced packages of support worth up to £80 million for SSI in Redcar and up to £9 million for TATA Steel in Scunthorpe.Only if more support is necessary other suitable sources of support will be considered.

Social Security Benefits

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many delays to benefit payments there were in (a) Gloucester, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

State Retirement Pensions: Publicity

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work his Department has undertaken with the devolved administrations on communicating to the public changes to the new state pension.

Justin Tomlinson: Northern Ireland is the only devolved administration for pensions. We have worked closely with officials from the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency and have shared our new State Pension advertising materials for customised use in Northern Ireland.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many replies to constituent correspondence from hon. Members his Department sent by (a) email and (b) letter in each of the last three years; and what the cost breakdown of each method was in each such year.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on responding to correspondence from hon. Members by email rather than by letter.

Justin Tomlinson: We have received representations from a small number of hon. Members and where appropriate the Department obliges with email replies. Where there is sensitive personal information in a reply, it will be posted for security reasons.The cost differential between sending postal replies and email replies is minimal.The exact information requested on the method of dispatch is not available other than at a disproportionate cost.

State Retirement Pensions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people over 100 years old living (a) in the UK and (b) overseas received the state pension in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: The requested information as of September 2012, 2013 and 2014 is within the table below:CountrySept-12Sept-13 Sept-14GB8,3009,0009,700Overseas6001,0001,000Total8,90010,00010,700“-“ indicates less than 100Source:DWP 5% dataNotes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding2. Cases where the payment has been suspended or the payment is not “live” have been omitted from these figures.

Pension Credit

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who are aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66, and (viii) 67 are in receipt of pension credit in the 2015-16 financial year.

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who are aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66, and (viii) 67 are in receipt of pension credit in the 2015-16 financial year.

Justin Tomlinson: The information as requested for 2015/16 is not available.Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

Pension Credit

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of providing pension credit was to people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Due to the geographical level of information requested it has been assumed that the question refers to benefit expenditure.The information on requested is shown in the table below.Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.Pension Credit Expenditure £ million2014/15Great Britain6,576.1Scotland587.4Glasgow (City)108.6Glasgow East (constituency)19.1Benefit expenditure information is published and can be found using the following URL:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

Carer's Allowance

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women aged (a) 60, (b) 61, (c) 62, (d) 63, (e) 64, (f) 65, (g) 66 and (h) 67 were in receipt of carer's allowance in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Glasgow and (iv) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is shown in the table below as at February 2015, which is the latest data available.Carer's Allowance recipients, by age for Great Britain, Scotland, Glasgow City Local Authority and Glasgow East constituency - February 2015:All FemalesAge of claimantGreat BritainScotlandGlasgow City LAGlasgow East ConstituencyTotal all ages519,74043,1107,0501,3406012,4101,140170306112,4701,07014030625,8205306010635503010-646104010-651,1306010-661,0406010-671,0808010-Source: DWP 100% WPLS.Notes: 1. "-" denotes nil or negligible; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. STATE PENSION AGE: The age at which men and women reach State Pension age is gradually increasing. Under current legislation, State Pension age for women will equalise with State Pension age for men at 65 in 2018. Both men's and women's State Pension age will increase from 65 to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020. The Pensions Bill 2013-14 contains provision for a State Pension age of 67 to be reached by 2028. For more information see https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207966/espa.pdf. 3. Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) these constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament4. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

Department for Work and Pensions: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Expenditure

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of his Department's expected DEL underspend in 2015-16; what his Department's current forecast for AME expenditure is in 2015-16; and what that forecast was at the time of (a) the Summer Budget 2015 and (b) the March Budget 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not publish full-year forecast DEL spending. Instead, at the end of the financial year, the Annual Report and Accounts will be published detailing outturn spending.AME Forecastsa) Summer Budget 2015 (and current forecast) £170,577m (nominal terms)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015Workbook: Outturn and forecast: Summer Budget 2015Table 1a cell BS84b) March Budget 2015 £170,274 (nominal terms)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015Workbook: Outturn and forecast: March Budget 2015Table 1a - cell BS84Summer Budget 2015 is the current forecast for 2015-16. This will be updated for Autumn Statement 2015

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on people with disabilities.

Justin Tomlinson: People with disabilities are entitled to an extra bedroom for non-resident overnight carers and disabled children who are unable to share with another child.Since 2013, we have provided local authorities with £470 million in Discretionary Housing Payments funding. This has enabled local authorities to give additional support to claimants where appropriate. This includes £175 million specifically for those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy, of which £75 million is for those living in significantly adapted properties.We will continue to provide additional support through Discretionary Housing Payments and have made a further £800 million in DHP funding available for the next 5 years of this Parliament.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the number of people who have been affected by the under-occupancy penalty.

Justin Tomlinson: Current numbers of people affected by this measure can be found using the following link to Stat-Xpore:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Following on from the 2012 impact assessment an independent two year evaluation was commissioned that looked at the effects of this policy. The interim report was published last July and the final report is due to be published before the end of the year.A link to the interim evaluation can be found below:-https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/329948/rr882-evaluation-of-removal-of-the-spare-room-subsidy.pdfThe full report will be published by the end of the year.

Survivor Benefits in Occupational Pension Schemes Review

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will respond to the Review of Survivor Benefits in Occupational Pension Schemes, published in June 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is actively considering the findings of the review into survivor benefits in occupational pension schemes. The Review provided important information on the benefits, costs and other effects of eliminating or reducing differences in survivor benefit provision. It is important that the findings of the Review are considered thoroughly so that we arrive at the right conclusion. We will respond to the Review in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Expenditure

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising in real terms in each year since 2010-11.

Justin Tomlinson: Administration has been assumed to be the Departmental Expenditure Limit Administrative spend and has been taken from the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014/15 (Table 4, page 184).The information that is available is in the table below:The Department for Work and Pensions spent the following amounts:   Temporary Agency Staff £mConsultants £mAdministration £m2010/1130.814.35,6102011/1211.58.71,3332012/1312.68.41,1802013/1413.111.71,0912014/1531.110.5894 Information on marketing and advertising costs could only be provided at disproportionate cost. To put this into context, the cost of temporary agency staff was just over 1% of the Department’s paybill in 2014-15.

Independent Living Fund

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of the independent living fund have had that funding reduced following the transfer of that fund to local authorities.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government believes that local authorities are best placed to provide for the care needs of people in their local community. The Care Act 2014 introduced stringent minimum standards for this care and it is within this context that local authorities took over responsibility for the care and support of former Independent Living Fund users from 1st July 2015.The government has fully-funded them to meet their additional obligations for the remainder of the 2015/16 financial year, but does not hold information on the care packages of individual former users. It has, however, committed to conducting research on the impact of the Fund’s closure and has already identified a sample of former users who have agreed to participate.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what total amount has been spent by his Department to date on the (a) design and (b) implementation of universal credit.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the cost associated with the introduction of universal credit to date.

Priti Patel: In ‘Universal Credit at Work’ published in October 2014, we stated that the total cost of implementation is £1.8bn, of which a third (c£0.6bn) has been spent.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Common Agricultural Policy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to press for the ending of the use of EU Common Agricultural Policy payments to support Spanish bullfighting.

George Eustice: Bulls kept for bullfighting are no longer eligible for direct Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments under the Beef Special Premium Scheme.The Government takes animal welfare very seriously and is working with the European Commission and other Member States to raise standards within the EU and internationally, and to address concerns surrounding the treatment of animals in particular countries, including in bullfighting; and will continue to look to reduce any incentives to such activities.

Food: Waste

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2015 to Question 14012, what estimate her Department has made of the number of signatories to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Rory Stewart: The Waste and Resources Action Programme manages four voluntary agreements which support collaborative action to increase resource efficiency and reduce waste. The number of signatories to each agreement is currently as follows:Courtauld Commitment 353 signatories including leading retailers, brands and manufacturers in the food sector.Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan69 signatories.Hospitality and Food Service Agreement115 signatories.Sustainable Clothing Action Plan45 signatories.

Agriculture: Productivity

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the effect on productivity of privately-funded research and development in the agricultural sector; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Privately-funded Research and Development, insofar as it supports innovation and new technologies, is one of several drivers of productivity growth in agriculture. Defra and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, with oversight from the Agritech Strategy’s Leadership Council,have carried out an assessment of public and private investment to support innovation in the agri-food sector, and its relationship with productivity growth. The outcomes of this exercise will be published by the end of November.

Motor Vehicles: Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the role of LPG autogas in helping to improve urban air quality.

Rory Stewart: While no formal assessment of the impact of LPG has been made by the Department, Defra officials met with representatives of the LPG industry during the consultation period for the draft UK Air Quality Plans.Industry data shows that retrofitting older diesel cars and vans to run on LPG can reduce emissions of NOx (oxides of nitrogen) and particulate matter whilst producing CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions between those of equivalent diesel and petrol engines. This solution was used by some drivers to enable them to enter the London Low Emission Zone without charge. Retrofitting to use LPG can also be a cheaper option for drivers than replacing their vehicle with a newer model.

White Fish: Irish Sea

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the fisheries Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive on the level of cod stocks in the Irish Sea.

George Eustice: Defra holds regular discussions on a wide range of fisheries issues, including cod stocks, with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive. We are currently working together to prepare for the annual European fisheries negotiations that will take place in Brussels on 14-15 December 2015.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Business

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the greenhouse gas reporting regulation.

Rory Stewart: Defra has made no assessment of the effectiveness of the implementation of the greenhouse gas reporting regulation.

Waste Disposal: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the costs and benefits to the UK of implementation of the original EU Waste Framework Directive.

Rory Stewart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October to Questions 13685 and 14733.

Waste Disposal: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the costs and benefits to the UK of implementation of the EU Waste Oils Directive.

Rory Stewart: The EU Waste Oils Directive was repealed upon the introduction of the revised Waste Framework Directive in 2008.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October to Questions 13685 and 14733. An assessment of the costs and benefits of the revised Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales was carried out when laying the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 which transposed the Directive. The assessment was published and is still available on the Legislation.gov webpages. This is the most up to date assessment of the impacts of the Waste Framework Directive, and contains a year-by-year breakdown of the expected costs. As waste is a devolved issue, the Devolved Administrations carried out and published their own impact assessments, which are similarly available online.

Waste Disposal: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the costs and benefits to the UK of implementation of the EU Hazardous Waste Directive.

Rory Stewart: The EU Hazardous Waste Directive was repealed on the introduction of the revised Waste Framework Directive in 2008.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October to Questions 13685 and 14733. An assessment of the costs and benefits of the revised Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales was carried out when laying the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 which transposed the Directive. The assessment was published and is still available on the Legislation.gov website. This is the most up to date assessment of the impacts of the Waste Framework Directive and contains a year-by-year breakdown of the expected costs. As waste is a devolved issue, the Devolved Administrations carried out and published their own impact assessments, which are similarly available online.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what average time her Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

George Eustice: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness.The published figures can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Air Pollution: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set out the costs and benefits to the UK of the EU Air Quality Framework Directive, and of the first, second, third and fourth daughter directives.

Rory Stewart: Defra commissioned consultants Ricardo AEA to evaluate the measures required to deliver the EU Air Quality Framework Directive and the First, Second and Third Daughter Directives. This analysis found that they would deliver significant benefits. The full report is available at:http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1403040925_exec-summary.pdfThe EU Air Quality Framework Directive (Directive 96/62/EC) was revoked by Article 31(1) of the Ambient Air Quality Directive, along with the First, Second and Third Daughter Directives (1999/30, 2000/69 and 2002/3). Today the Ambient Air Quality Directive and the Fourth Daughter Directive remain in force.Our impact assessment of the Fourth Daughter Directive in 2009 indicated that the net benefit to society is £875 million. A summary of this is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/01/25153504/10.It is evident that the measures have not performed as well as expected, in particular the European emission standards (Euro standards) for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. Rectifying this problem is a key part of ensuring compliance with EU air quality standards and improving air quality in our towns and cities. To address the resultant gap and bring the UK into compliance with EU limit values for NO2 we have developed revised draft air quality plans. We are currently consulting on these plans and will submit them to the European Commission by the end of the year. The impact assessment of our proposed measures estimates a net benefit to society of £1,455 million. The full report is available at:https://consult.defra.gov.uk/airquality/draft-aq-plans/supporting_documents/Draft%20Evidence%20Annex%20%20%20assessment%20of%20plans%20to%20improve%20air%20quality%20in%20the%20UK.%20%20September%202015.pdf .

Milk: Competition

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of competition among milk processors.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to championing a thriving and competitive British food and farming sector. We worked closely with the dairy industry to produce the ‘Leading the Way’ Growth Plan, which aims to improve long-term efficiency and competitiveness, and encourage processors to invest.We are taking forward a series of measures to help farming businesses grow and thrive. Based on 2012 data, there are approximately 400 dairy processors in the UK, including farmer co-operatives, private dairy companies and public limited companies, with considerable variety and diversity, particularly in the cheese sector.

Milk

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage more retailers to sell milk brands that best support the domestic dairy industry.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has written to all major supermarkets asking them to consider what more they might be able to do to increase their sourcing of UK dairy products and I am holding discussions with individual retailers, to encourage them to do more, particularly on processed dairy products.

Non-native Species: EU Action

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement a strategy to tackle invasive non-native species at the European level; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The United Kingdom has been instrumental in calling for an EU-wide strategy to tackle invasive non-native species. We support the new EU Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction of invasive alien species, which came into force on 1 January 2015. Since that time we have been working with the European Commission and other Member States to agree the first list of species that will be subject to the Regulation, and to put the required measures in place to tackle those species as required by the Regulation.

Milk: Prices

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effect on consumer demand of increases in the price of milk.

George Eustice: The National Statistics publication, Family Food 2011, presents estimates of how demand for different types of food (including dairy products) varies with changing food prices and different levels of total expenditure on food.These estimates are known as price elasticities and are based on Family Food Survey data from 2001 to 2011. The report notes that foods where demand is less sensitive to changes in price are fish and ‘dairy and eggs’. On average, those paying a one per cent higher price buy 0.4 per cent less.A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House.

Home Office

Radicalism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Prevent strategy funding for each of the last five years has been allocated to tackling far right extremism.

Mr John Hayes: The Prevent Strategy addresses all forms of terrorism including extreme right wing terrorism. We do not provide a breakdown of Prevent project spending for reasons of national security.

Worker Registration Scheme

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prosecutions have taken place and (b) penalty notices have been issued under paragraphs (i) 13 and (ii) 12 of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 in each year since those regulations entered into force.

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prosecutions have taken place and (b) penalty notices have been issued under paragraphs (i) 15 and (ii) 16 of the Accession of Croatia (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2013 in each year since those regulations entered into force.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 26 October 2015



The number of prosecutions under Regulations 12 and 13 of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006, in each of the years the regulations were in force, 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013, is shown in Table 1. The data in the table has been provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and is not held by the Home Office. MoJ Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales.The Regulations only allowed for employees to be served with a Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) under Regulation 13. The sanction against employers under Regulation 12 was prosecution through the Courts. The Home Office does not hold Management Information for this period which would explain why the prosecution numbers are low. Management information in Table 2 shows the number of FPNs notified to the Home Office as having been served in each of the financial years the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 were in force.The Home Office has no record of any Fixed Penalty Notices being issued to Croatian nationals working in breach of the Accession of Croatia (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2013. The Home Office has not issued any civil penalties to employers in respect of breaches of the Accession of Croatia (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2013.



Employees served with a Fixed Penalty Notice
(Word Document, 37 KB)

Home Office: Pay

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials of her Department in each of the last three years.

Karen Bradley: Non-consolidated performance payments are one-off payments which are paid only to the top achievers and are used to help drive performance.As part of the Government transparency agenda all year end and in-year bonuses are published in the Non-Consolidated Performance Related Pay (NCPRP) return. The amount that the Department has paid in bonuses for each of the last three years (2011/12 to 2013/14) is provided at Table 1.



Bonuses to officials 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.57 KB)

Counter-terrorism: EU Institutions

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Frontex and Europol in countering terrorism.

Mr John Hayes: The UK undertakes parliamentary scrutiny of activity when appropriate, and works closely with other European Member States to ensure that both organisations conduct their roles effectively. In 2015 the UK supported the implementation of the Europol Internet Referrals Unit and Europol Counter Terrorism Centre, while emphasising that national security remains a reserved matter under Article 4(2) of the Treaty for European Union.

Organised Crime

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 12246, how many criminal operations have been smashed by the Organised Immigration Crime Task Force to date.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 04 November 2015



It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing operations.The Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce is designed to increase the resources required to build on existing extensive law enforcement capability in the UK and overseas to tackle OIC and target criminal networks in source and transit countries.The UK has been successfully disrupting the gangs behind all forms of organised immigration crime for a number of years. UK law enforcement disrupted over 170 organised crime groups involved in organised immigration crime last year (April 14 – March 15).

Judicial Review

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) search and (b) surveillance warrants issued by a judge have been subject to judicial review in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 04 November 2015



Figures on the numbers of search warrants and surveillance authorisations subject to judicial review are not held centrally.

Extradition: USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken has been for a successful extradition request from the US administration to be implemented for deporting a person to the US since 2010.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British citizens have been extradited to the US under the US-UK extradition treaty since 2010; and how many US citizens have been extradited to the UK under that treaty in the same period.

James Brokenshire: Since the start of 2010 the UK has extradited 35 British citizens (including dual nationals) from the UK to the USA, over the same time period the US has extradited 8 US nationals (including dual nationals) to the UK.Of those arrested for the purposes of extradition to the US since 1 January 2010, 50 individuals (of all nationalities) have been extradited (up to and including 3 November 2015).All figures are from local management information, and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Refugees: Children

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to protect orphaned children from exploitation subsequent to their being taken to the UK from (a) Syria and (b) other countries and removed from their extended family.

James Brokenshire: Any child who arrives in the UK unaccompanied, either as a result of resettlement or via another route, would be expected to receive the same protection and support as a child who is resident in the UK, under the provisions set out in the Children Act 1989, as amended, and related statutory guidance.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2014, HC 511, published on 22 October 2015, how many animals of each of the species in that paper were subjected to procedures in establishments in Scotland; and what the (a) purpose and (b) level of security was of those procedures.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2014, HC 511, published on 22 October 2015, how many animals of each of the species in that paper were subjected to procedures in establishments in Wales; and what the (a) purpose and (b) level of security was of those procedures.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The attached table contains separate tables for Scotland and Wales which show the number of procedures completed on each species in 2014 by (a) purpose and (b) severity.



Procedures completed on species
(Excel SpreadSheet, 59.5 KB)

Police: Per Capita Costs

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the average cost to a police authority of employing a (a) police officer and (b) police community support officer; and what estimate she has made of that cost in each year from 2016-17 to 2019-20.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



Police authorities were abolished in 2012. Police and Crime Commissioners are now responsible for local priorities. The Home Office has estimated the costs of police officers and police community support officers based on average full time equivalent costs and predicted cost increases. The costs include the employers’ portion of National Insurance and pension contributions.£2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/20Average Officer47,80050,00050,80051,50052,400Average PSCO32,30033,40033,80034,20034,700

Naturalisation: Fraud

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports submitted in support of an application for naturalisation as a British citizen were found to have a counterfeit Home Office stamp purporting to grant settlement in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



Information on how many individuals submitted a passport with a counterfeit stamp purporting to a grant settlement, in support of a naturalisation application is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.

Visas: Sponsorship

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question 9220, if she will place in the Library a full breakdown of all refusals since May 2015 for each Standard Occupational Classification code.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



A full breakdown of all refusals since May 2015, for each Standard Occupational Classification code has been produced as a separate document. I will place a copy of this document in the Library of the House of Commons.

Overseas Students: Syria

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many student visas her Department issued to Syrian nationals in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The information requested is provided in the table below:Entry clearance student visas granted to Syrian nationals (Main Applicants, Tier 4 & pre-PBS equivalent)Year Granted2010 3952011 3902012 2042013 1762014 169

Deportation: Appeals

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to her Department has been of (a) deporting and (b) returning deported people following a successful appeal under the deport first, appeal later measures.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



The Home Office has not estimated the cost of (a) deporting and (b) returning deported people following a successful appeal under the deport first, appeal later measures. We are unable to disaggregate the specific costs relating to deport first, appeal later provisions and any attempt to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures her Department has in place to ensure that researchers assessing the expected severity level of animal experiments when applying for project licences do so objectively and thoroughly.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



The Home Office has published detailed guidance (see: Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986), which describes how severity categories are to be defined. Each protocol set out in a project licence application is assigned a severity category, which is assessed in by the applicant usually in collaboration with the establishment’s Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer, the Named Veterinary Surgeon and the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body. It is then submitted to the Home Office for assessment by the Home Office Inspectorate who will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. In addition, where special species or projects with major animal welfare or ethical implications or any applications raising novel or contentious issues, the application will be provided to the Animals in Science Committee (ASC) for advice to the Secretary of State. Under section 5 of the Act, the Secretary of State considers advice from Inspectors and from the ASC, and classifies the likely severity of each of the regulated procedures specified in the licence.

Engineers and Scientists: Visas

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many scientists and engineers have been refused a Tier 2 (General) Certificate of Sponsorship because the annual cap had been reached since May 2010; which Standard Occupational Classification codes have been affected by that cap; and how many applications have been refused for each such code to date.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offences against Children: Internet

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) safeguarding interventions arose from Operation Notarise.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offences against Children: Internet

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many verified images are currently on the National Hash Set Database; and how many police forces have direct access to that database.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business: Languages

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the efficiency of the work visa system in enabling UK businesses to have speedy access to the language skills they need for new markets.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offences against Children

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to help protect 16 and 17 year olds who are victims of child sexual exploitation.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of standard passport applications made in the last six months were processed within three weeks.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Passports: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) standard and (b) fast-track passport applications were made in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Telecommunications: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current guidance is on how data required to be retained by communications companies for investigations undertaken or authorised by the Government is to be stored.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Syria

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will process as a matter of urgency the asylum applications of the 114 Syrian refugees currently being held at RAF Dhekelia in Cyprus.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Crime

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been referred by the National Crime Agency to regional police forces in (a) 2014 and (b) so far in 2015; and how many of those people are under suspicion of involvement in crimes of child abuse.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Syria

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees selected for resettlement from UN camps to the UK had previously been selected for resettlement in the US.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Syria

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees from each UN camp she expects to be resettled in the UK in 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries' citizens (a) may and (b) may not enter the UK without a visa.

James Brokenshire: Appendix 2 to Appendix V of the Immigration Rules - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules - sets out those countries or territorial entities whose nationals or citizens need a visa in advance of travel to the UK for any purpose. Nationals or citizens of countries or territories that are not included in paragraph 1(a) of Appendix 2 do not need a visa in advance of travel to the UK as a visitor or for any other purpose for less than six months.

Ministry of Defence

Army: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Questions 11484, on Army: Scotland, for what reasons the figures cited for 6 SCOTS and 7 SCOTS do not reflect the general increase in reserve numbers forecast in the Future Reserves 2020 programme.

Mr Julian Brazier: It is assumed that the question relates to the reduction in the establishment figures for 6 and 7 SCOTS. These changes reflect the move to a standard structure for all reserve infantry battalions with three companies rather than four as part of the Future Reserves 2020 programme.In practice Army Reserve manning levels have been historically below establishment. Actual numbers are now increasing in 6 and 7 SCOTS, as they are across the Army Reserve.The following table shows the manning levels of the reserve battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, complete with establishment and strength as at April of each year between 2004 and 2014.2004200520062007200820092010201120122013201452nd Lowland Regiment/6 SCOTS39245240640640640640640640640636727327828018221619019618615516018851st Highland Regiment/7 SCOTS557656627471472471472472472472367390425425338294253262191237205270Unit details are single service estimates only and have not been produced by Defence Statistics.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK nuclear weapons have been withdrawn from operational service as a result of (a) multilateral negotiation and (b) unilateral action since 1985.

Mr Philip Dunne: The UK has a strong record on nuclear disarmament. Since 1985 the WE 177 and Polaris warheads have been removed from operational service leaving only one type of nuclear warhead in service delivered by the Trident missile system. These withdrawals from operational service have been as a result of unilateral action. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 20 January 2015 (Official Report, column 4WS) the Government has met its commitment to implement the changes announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 to reduce the number of operationally available warheads from fewer than 160 to no more than 120.



20150120 - WMS Hansard extract - Nuclear Deterrent
(Word Document, 14.54 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Senior Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mark Lancaster: Where external recruitment to Senior Civil Service (SCS) posts is required, recruitment agencies and head-hunters may be engaged to assist with campaigns. The costs of agency services include search, advertisement, response handling, assessment and support to selection panels.Details of spend on SCS recruitment with external agencies and head-hunters, by calendar year, are as follows:Calendar YearSpend2010£121,0002011£144,0002012£284,0002013£373,0002014£583,0002015 (to 31 March)£33,000Note: information held by the Ministry of Defence extends to 31 March 2015 only; from 1 April 2015 recruitment for SCS posts has been managed centrally by Civil Service Resourcing.

Syria: Refugees

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what conditions the 114 Syrian refugees are being held at RAF Dhekelia in Cyprus; and if he will undertake to ensure that these conditions are inspected as to their appropriateness.

Penny Mordaunt: The temporary accommodation facility at Dhekelia Station in Cyprus where the migrants are being held provides access to three meals a day, shelter with heaters, duvets and blankets, privacy and communications as well as facilities for religious worship. Medical care is being provided if needed. The Ministry of Defence was advised by the Department for International Development (DFID) when designing and constructing the facility, and DFID continue to provide support and advice on the ground. It has been visited by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Cyprus, who has said that the conditions of the facility exceeds the standard of comparable set-ups.

Middle East: Military Intervention

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his most recent estimate is of the number of UK military personnel currently involved in military operations in (a) Iraq and (b) Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: We have over 850 military personnel committed to Operation SHADER (counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and Syria) based across the Middle East

Robert Jolleys

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons were for the Ministry of Defence Police withholding a Special Investigation Branch report of Lt. Col. Jolleys' circumstances from a fraud trial in which he was convicted of failing to declare changes to his circumstances.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons were for the Ministry of Defence Police denying Lt. Col. Jolley his own military records for him to use at his trial in 2013.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons were for the Ministry of Defence Police failing to disclose army doctors', chaplains', commanding officers' and Lt. Col. Jolleys' own statement of his circumstances.

Mark Lancaster: A Special Investigation Branch Report was served as evidence at Lt Col Jolleys' trial and was provided to his Defence team pre-trial.It will take time to gather the further information and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

HM Treasury

Tax Avoidance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made in tackling international tax avoidance.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to countering tax avoidance to ensure all tax payers pay their fair share. The UK has been at the forefront of international efforts to tackle corporate tax avoidance through the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, which had the objective of ensuring profits are taxed where economic activities are performed.The first phase of the BEPS project was delivered in 2014, and the UK was the first adopter of the 2014 recommendations, by legislating for the internationally agreed country-by-country reporting template; and consulting on implementing the OECD agreed rules to deal with hybrid mismatch arrangements.In line with the objectives of the BEPS project, the Government also introduced the Diverted Profits Tax to target contrived arrangements used by large multinational companies to divert profits away from the UK.The final BEPS project reports were published on 5 October 2015. The UK will give full consideration to the outputs of the BEPS project and will engage with the OECD’s work on developing a framework for monitoring implementation.

Charities: Investment

David Mowat: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to increase the number of simple, low risk investment products that are available to charitable organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: Charities can invest their funds in a wide range of investment products. Charity trustees should refer to the Charity Commission's guidance on investments, and should generally seek professional advice before investing.There are some specific investment products available only to charities. Common Investment Funds and Common Deposit Funds are collective investment and deposit vehicles open to charities.In addition, the government announced at Budget 2015 the introduction of a new Charity Authorised Investment Fund structure. This will bring new investment funds established for charitable purposes under FCA regulation, ensuring they receive the same regulatory oversight and protections as funds for retail investors.The FCA is currently consulting on measures to implement the new fund structure. The proposals being consulted on include the registration of the fund as a charity, the role of advisory committees, and provisions on income distribution and capital allocation. The consultation will close on 7 December 2015.

Taxation

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to ensure (a) British Overseas Territories and (b) the City of London comply with international standards for transparency in tax matters.

Mr David Gauke: In 2013, a major focus of the UK’s G8 Presidency was tax transparency and combatting offshore tax evasion. As part of this the UK promoted the development of a new global standard for reciprocal automatic exchange of financial account information in order to effectively tackle the global problem of tax evasion. Due in large part to the UK’s leadership, over 90 countries and jurisdictions have now committed to the new global standard – known as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) – and will begin automatically exchanging information under the standard by 2017 or 2018.Together with the UK itself, all of the UK’s Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with a recognised financial centre have committed to the 2017 timetable as early adopters. They will also be automatically exchanging 2014 and 2015 financial account information bilaterally with the UK in 2016. The City of London is covered by the CRS which has been implemented in UK law.In addition to their commitments to early adoption of the CRS, all of the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have engaged fully in the Global Forum Peer Review Process on exchange of information on request, have publicly committed to improvements in the transparency of company ownership and meet Financial Action Task Force requirements.

Tax Avoidance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of money saved for the public purse as a result of the Government's policies on tackling international tax avoidance.

Mr David Gauke: The UK has been at the forefront of international action to tackle corporate tax avoidance through the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The first phase of the BEPS project was delivered in 2014 and the UK committed to introduce country-by-country reporting from 1 January 2016 and rules to deal with hybrid mismatch arrangements from 1 January 2017.In line with the objectives of the BEPS project, the Government also introduced the Diverted Profits Tax from 1 April 2015 to target contrived arrangements used by large multinational companies to divert profits away from the UK.As set out in Autumn Statement 2014, together these measures addressing are estimated to yield around £1.6 billion over the next five years. The policy costings were certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility.The final BEPS project reports were published by the OECD on 5 October 2015 and endorsed by the G20 Finance Ministers at their meeting in Lima on 8 October. The UK welcomes the outcomes of the BEPS project and will give full consideration to the OECD’s recommendations.

Multinational Companies: Tax Avoidance

Toby Perkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to prevent British multinational companies avoiding tax in developing countries.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning extremely seriously, and has taken action both domestically and through working with other countries to prevent this.The UK has led global efforts to tackle aggressive tax planning by multinational companies through the OECD-G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The project represents an unprecedented international effort that involved over 60 countries, including developing countries, working together to better align the taxation of profits with economic activity and value creation.The Government is also committed to supporting developing countries to collect the tax they are due. Through the G20 Development Working Group, and with the supporting of international organisations, it is working to produce practical toolkits that will assist developing countries in implementing the BEPS recommendations.In addition, the UK contributes considerable human and financial resources to help developing countries build robust tax administrations. Earlier this year, the Government committed to doubling our funding for tax projects in developing countries.

Multinational Companies: Tax Avoidance

Toby Perkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the establishment of a UN body to lead the re-writing of tax rules to help prevent multinational companies from avoiding paying tax in developing countries.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to supporting developing countries access sustainable sources of revenue and collect the taxes they are due. However, it has concerns that the establishment of a UN body with responsibility for agreeing international tax rules would lead to duplication with the ongoing work of the G20 and OECD, and would make it more difficult to achieve agreement on international tax reforms.The UK has been at the forefront of recent international efforts to ensure that taxing rights are closely aligned with economic activity through the G20-OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. Developing countries have been directly involved at working and decision-making levels in BEPS discussions and all countries will be able to benefit from the changes resulting from this work.The Government is also working through the G20 Development Working Group and with international organisations to produce practical toolkits that will assist developing countries in implementing the BEPS recommendations. In addition, the Government funds tax capacity building in the vast majority of our priority developing countries bilaterally and multilaterally, as well as through peer-to-peer technical assistance from HM Revenue and Customs.

Treasury: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Harriett Baldwin: The information requested is not available.

EU Budget

Adam Afriyie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much total government funding the UK contributed towards the budget of the EU in each year since 1992.

Mr David Gauke: Details of UK contributions to the EU Budget are published annually in a document entitled European Union Finances.The latest edition (European Union Finances 2014) was published in December 2014 (Cm 8974) and is available in the House library. Table 3A on page 14 provides details of UK contributions, rebate and public sector receipts for the period 2008 to 2014.Figures for years prior to 2008 can be found in previous editions of this publication, which are also be available in the House library.

Estate Agents: Money Laundering

Bill Wiggin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 12970, for what reasons estate agents that do not hold client money fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

Harriett Baldwin: The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 sets out what regulated sectors (includes businesses such as estate agents) must do to prevent their services being used for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes. Money laundering can take many forms and in the property sector it often involves: (i) buying property using the proceeds of crime and selling it on; (ii) criminals hiding behind complex structures to disguise the true purpose of the transaction; (iii) paying an estate agent or auctioneer a significant deposit and reclaiming it later; and (iv) using purchase monies from a mortgage fraud.Estate agents that do not hold client money fall within the scope of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 in accordance with the requirements of article 2 1. (3) (d) of European directive 2005/60/EC of 26 October 2005 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.The Directive requires estate agents to exercise due diligence and to report suspicious transactions. Suspicious transactions, and preventing the inappropriate use of services, may arise in a variety of ways that do not involve handling funds. Estate agency businesses are well placed as they encounter both parties to the transaction at an early stage.

Employee Ownership

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Shares for Rights scheme.

Damian Hinds: No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of employers offering employee shareholder shares to their employees.Employee shareholder status has been carefully designed as light touch and accessible, and to conduct an assessment of the policy effectiveness would require detailed information gathering from businesses and employees. There is no requirement on any company wishing to offer an employee shareholder contract to contact or notify any Government department or agency in advance or ‘apply’ to Government if they intend to use this measure.

Income Tax: National Insurance

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in devolved administrations on the merger of income tax and national insurance.

Mr David Gauke: The Scotland Bill introduces significant new powers for the Scottish Government to set income tax rates and thresholds. As recommended by the Smith Commission, National Insurance remains a UK wide contributory system.The Government is committed to simplifying the tax system. We have asked the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) to look at alignment of income tax and National Insurance. The terms of reference for the OTS review can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ots-review-of-income-tax-and-national-insurance-tor. The focus is on looking to simplifying the underlying rules in the way the two charges operate which remain a reserved matter.

Welfare Tax Credits

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish an equality assessment of the Government's changes to tax credits.

Damian Hinds: As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.The Government carefully considers all relevant legal obligations – including the equalities duty – when formulating welfare policy.

Child Benefit: Refugees

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who have been granted refugee leave have claimed backdated child benefit in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Damian Hinds: HMRC does not hold the requested information.

Child Benefit: Refugees

David T. C. Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid from the public purse in backdated child benefit to people who have been granted refugee leave in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Damian Hinds: HMRC does not hold the requested information.

Welfare Tax Credits: Scotland

Deidre  Brock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether under any Act arising from the Scotland Bill the Scottish Government will be enabled to pay tax credits.

Damian Hinds: The Smith Commission agreement, agreed by all the main parties in Scotland, set out those benefits where power should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Tax credits were not amongst those benefits.However, under the current Scotland Bill clauses, the Scottish Government will have the power to top-up tax credits, as long as it does so through using its own resources. The Smith Commission agreement said that any new benefits or discretionary payments introduced by the Scottish Parliament must provide additional income for a recipient and not result in an automatic offsetting reduction in their entitlement to other benefits. Once the Scottish Government have been clear about how they want to use their new powers, we will work with them to understand the interactions between the reserved and devolved benefit systems.

Revenue and Customs: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12551, if he will invite the hon. Member for Preston to visit the tax credit office in that constituency.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs is happy to facilitate visits to their offices from MPs. In the first instance they would ask for the MP's office to send a formal request to communications.corporate@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

Productivity

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed changes to (a) the student loans system and (b) maintenance grants on productivity.

Greg Hands: The government’s system of student support enables students to cover the costs of studying at university. At Summer Budget 2015, we announced that maintenance grants would be replaced by more generous maintenance loans and that we would consult on freezing the repayment threshold for loan repayments. These measures help create a financially secure Higher Education system, allowing the government to remove the student numbers cap and enable more students to go to university than ever before.

Productivity

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5 of his Department's document Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published in July 2015, what analysis his Department has made of the effects of changes to vehicle excise duty and the creation of a roads fund on UK productivity.

Damian Hinds: The reform of VED announced at the Summer Budget delivers long-term revenue sustainability whilst simplifying the current system. This reform enabled the government to set up a Roads Fund, which from 2020-21 will provide the necessary funding for a high performing road network that is as efficient as possible. This is vital for efficient running of business and enabling connections to bigger markets and labour pools.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons the construction cost of the planned Hinkley Point C power station has reduced from £24.5 billion to £18 billion.

Andrea Leadsom: The £24.5 billion figure included financing costs (interest and guarantee costs) assuminga £16 billion IUK guarantee. The £18 billion figure is not directly comparable as it does not include these financing costs.

Energy Supply

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to increase the UK's energy self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported fuel sources; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK boasts a diverse range of energy sources including oil and gas, nuclear, a number of different renewable technologies and coal. These are home grown sources and it is our policy to add new nuclear and shale gas to the existing mix.The recently established Oil & Gas Authority is working to maximize the economic recovery of UK conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources. In addition, the UK has six refineries which supply fuel into the domestic market and DECC is working closely with the industry to remove market distortions and ensure relevant regulations are fit for purpose, so they can continue to be competitive.Furthermore, we are seeking to increase our domestic electricity generating capacity by working with three developers taking forward proposals to build six new nuclear power plants in the UK, including the recent commitment by EDF and CGN to take forward the Hinkley Point C Project. Renewables are also increasing our domestic generating capacity having provided nearly one fifth of the UK’s electricity needs in 2014 and we are on track to reach our target of 30% by 2020.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to make a decision on the strike price for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC has not placed a timeframe on the Contract for Difference negotiations, which will depend on a number of factors, many of which would be outside the control of the Department.

Wind Power: Redundancy

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what meetings she has had with Jobcentre Plus to discuss measures to help redundant onshore wind workers back into employment; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government was elected with a commitment to end subsidies for new onshore wind projects. We are taking the steps necessary to deliver this commitment, which includes closing the Renewables Obligation (RO) early to new onshore wind projects.An Impact Assessment (IA) considering the potential effects of the Government’s proposals to close the RO early was published on 8 September, with an update published on 8 October. The IA suggests, under the central scenario, that ending RO support early could have a small impact on employment in this sector compared with the do nothing option.Under the Government’s proposals onshore wind is expected to deploy 11.6GW of capacity under the RO and an additional 0.75GW under Contracts for Difference by 2020. Taken together, this is sufficient to meet onshore wind’s expected contribution towards our renewables target as set out in the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan whilst minimising the impact of potential over deployment on consumer bills. This strong pipeline of projects will support jobs in this sector, including construction, maintenance and management opportunities out to 2020.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the agreed terms and retail price (a) with and (b) without an RPI-annual refix are of the recently announced China/EDF deals.

Andrea Leadsom: The Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C if entered into in its final form would provide an initial strike price of £92.50/MWh, or if Sizewell goes ahead it will be reduced to £89.50/MWh, both in 2012 prices and fully indexed to the Consumer Price Index (not RPI). My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to be in a position to take her final decision on the Contract for Difference and associated agreements for Hinkley Point C once the documentation relating to equity investment into the project is finalised.

Energy: Meters

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the estimated cost per household will be to suppliers of having to issue an in-home display as part of the smart meter home display.

Andrea Leadsom: Energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic customers an In Home Display (IHD) for no upfront charge. Our latest Impact Assessment published in January 2014 estimates that IHDs will cost energy suppliers £15 per display.GB trials and international experience demonstrate that real time feedback from In Home Displays are instrumental to energy savings.

Electricity Interconnectors: Denmark

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13263, whether energy produced by the proposed VikingLink project would be regarded as contributing towards the carbon reduction targets in the Climate Change Act 2008.

Andrea Leadsom: The carbon reduction target is defined in terms of the carbon intensity of generation in the UK. As such, energy imported from Denmark over the proposed VikingLink will not contribute towards the target directly. However, the link will contribute to wider decarbonisation goals by providing access to Danish wind power, and by supporting efficient use of renewable generation in the UK. Interconnection provides tools for system balancing and reduces the need for curtailment by enabling exports at times of excess generation. In this way it can maximise the contribution of domestic low-carbon generation to meeting targets and allow the most efficient use of renewable resource between the two countries.

Fracking

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the proportion of total UK energy production likely to be sourced from fracking in each of the next five years.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The Government is of the view that there is a national need to explore and test our shale resources in a safe, sustainable and timely way.It is too early to make an assessment of the future extent of shale gas and oil production. We do not yet know the full scale of the UK’s shale resources nor how much can be extracted technically or economically.

Fracking

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, under what timetable she will announce the mechanism for ensuring that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells that are drilled at the surface of sensitive areas.

Andrea Leadsom: On 4 November 2015, the Government set out proposals to ensure that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells drilled at the surface of specified protected areas. [1] The proposals are now subject to consultation with key stakeholders, including industry and non-governmental organisations.[1] See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Public Expenditure

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect of the freezing of the carbon price floor on the Government's projected levy expenditure under the Levy Control Framework to 2020.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will publish her Department's (a) estimate of projected levy expenditure under the Levy Control Framework to 2020 before the changes announced in July 2015, (b) estimate of projected levy expenditure under the Levy Control Framework to 2020 since the changes announced in July 2015 and (c) assessment of the reasons for additional expenditure arising between the two estimates.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC published projected levy expenditure under the Levy Control Framework (LCF) as part of its Annual Energy Statement in November 2014:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371387/43586_Cm_8945_accessible.pdf.The Office of Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) updated these projections in July 2015 showing forecast spend under the LCF was set to be higher than previously expected:http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/July-2015-EFO-234224.pdf.The increase in forecast expenditure was due to changes in wholesale prices, accelerated developments in technological efficiency and higher than expected uptake of demand led schemes. We are aiming to publish an updated set of projections later this year.The Carbon Price Floor (CPF) is a policy led by HM Treasury. In the 2014 Budget, the Carbon Price Support (CPS), the mechanism by which the carbon price floor is delivered, was capped at £18/tCO2 until 2018/19. DECC analysis on projected levy expenditure under the Levy Control Framework (LCF) to 2020/21 reflects these rates.

Electricity Interconnectors

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) all UK electricity generators and operators and (b) developers of gas plants are able to compete on a level playing field after the planned increase in interconnector capacity after 2020.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The priority of this government is to ensure security of supply at the lowest cost to consumers. Where there are benefits to consumers of further interconnection, this will be identified through Ofgem’s regulatory regime. In this way, we will ensure the efficient level of interconnection and a good balance between domestic generation and continental imports.In relation to the Capacity Market, National Grid advises on a sensible range for de-rating factors for interconnectors in the auction from which the Secretary of State will decide the final number. This mitigates the risk of relying too much on imports and ensures that the efficient amount of domestic capacity will always be secured in the auction.

Hydroelectric Power: Scotland

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answers of 6 July 2015 to Question 4511 and 12 October 2015 to Question 10567, if she will (a) request that OFGEM assess whether the use of conventional hydro-power in the north of Scotland offsets the extra cost per unit of supply and (b) instruct OFGEM to cancel the 2p per kW hour excess charge in that region.

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answers of 6 July 2015 to Question 4511 and 12 October 2015 to Question 10567, if she will request that OFGEM explain what its justification is for allowing a higher charge for supply in the north of Scotland.

Andrea Leadsom: Electricity supplied to consumers in the North of Scotland region is produced by a range of generation types traded in a competitive market across GB. The electricity price paid by consumers in any given region is not therefore determined by the predominant generation type in that region.Ofgem does not regulate energy prices - these are set by energy suppliers in competition with each other and so matters relating to the pricing of tariffs are a matter for each individual company.Ofgem addressed the differences in electricity charges between regions at paragraph 2.5 of their recent report on ‘Regional Differences in Network Charges’. This stated that the differences observed are not a ‘surcharge’, but reflect the different network costs in the region when shared out between customers consuming energy in that area. They also saw “no compelling case” to change these arrangements, from a regulatory perspective.The report also noted that electricity distribution charges in the north of Scotland are already cross-subsidised to an extent through the Government’s Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme. It is currently worth around £41 per annum per household in the north of Scotland, and means that consumers face lower network charges than they otherwise would.This report can be obtained at:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/ofgem-report-regional-differences-network-charges.

Electricity Interconnectors

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that new interconnector capacity is supported by robust cost analyses.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



Ofgem, through the regulatory regime introduced in summer last year, have in place a thorough eligibility assessment of individual interconnector projects which provides robust cost analysis, ensuring the interconnectors are in the interest of consumers. The Government is confident that Ofgem’s cost analysis process for interconnectors is appropriate.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13044, what the (a) technical, (b) regulatory and (c) contractual reasons were for delays at (i) Olkiluoto 3 and (ii) Flamanville 3 reactors.

Andrea Leadsom: The causes of the delays at Olkiluoto 3 include complex contractual structures and a series of design changes suggested by the local regulator after the start of construction. Hinkley Point C will commence construction with a more mature design. Our different regulatory regime and improved contracting arrangements will ensure that issues will not arise in the UK.Flamanville 3 has experienced delays as a result of changes to the design after the start of construction, changes to regulatory requirements, including modifications to take account of lessons learned from the accident at Fukushima in 2011, and quality problems with key components. In the UK, responsibility for delivery and compliance with regulatory requirements lies with EDF and its co-investors. The shareholders in the project carry the full construction risk.EDF Energy, overseen by the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation, will apply any relevant lessons learned and ensure the delivery of high standards of nuclear safety for its new nuclear power plants in the UK.

Carbon Emissions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to prevent carbon emissions outside the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to securing an ambitious, legally binding, global deal on climate change at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 in Paris, in December.My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Climate and Energy, is taking every opportunity to press for an agreement that secures ambitious mitigation commitments from all Parties that together keep the goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees within reach. We also want an agreement that includes a regular review of targets to increase ambition over time, a global long term goal and a robust, legally binding framework to ensure transparency and accountability of commitments to help the world track progress.

Climate Change Convention: Paris

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will take steps in support of the African Group's agreement on a Global Goal for Adaptation at the Paris Climate Conference in December.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government supports the view that the Paris Agreement should set out a long term direction for all countries and the international community on adaptation, which should encourage all countries to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and strengthen resilience, in order to enable climate resilient sustainable development.

Solar Power

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the market size of the UK solar industry in 2016.

Andrea Leadsom: Current deployment of solar PV stands at 8.2GW, spread across slightly more than 770,000 installations. This is divided into 3.37GW (over 755,000 installations) under the Feed-in Tariff and 3.84GW (over nearly 14,000 installations) under the Renewables Obligation. There is an additional 0.97GW of solar PV, most of which is large scale installation that has not yet accredited under the RO.Current estimates suggest that, assuming we incorporate our proposed cost control measures under both RO and FIT schemes, by 2020 there will be approximately 9.6GW of solar PV, incorporating c5.7GW under the RO and Contracts for Difference, and c3.9GW under the FIT scheme:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/457313/Estimated_capacity_of_selected_renewable_technologies_in_2020-21.pdf.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458662/IA_for_FITs_consultation_August_2015_-_FINAL_docx__e-signature_included__v2.pdf.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many responses have been received to the feed-in tariff consultation; and what account she will take of those responses in making her final decision on the feed-in tariff support scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC has received approximately 55,000 consultation responses. We currently estimate that just over 2,600 are unique and detailed responses; the rest are briefer and more uniform responses, generated by campaigns. We are currently analysing feedback submitted during the consultation which we will take into account when deciding on the Government Response.

Fuels

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans the Government has for the effective and efficient oversight of strategic fuel stocks.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK is required to hold stocks of oil for use in response to substantial disruptions to oil supply through its membership of the European Union and the International Energy Agency. In the UK we manage our obligation by directing companies who are substantial suppliers of oil to the UK to hold stocks which can then be released if required in an emergency. The Department of Energy and Climate Change collects detailed data on a monthly basis from these companies on the stocks. This is then checked and verified before the Department then reports to the European Commission and International Energy Agency. Our processes ensure we have clear oversight of our emergency oil stocks. We also regularly review these processes to ensure they are as efficient as possible and do not place unnecessary burden on industry.

Renewable Energy: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to support the development of a sustainable and integrated small-scale renewables sector in Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom: Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland. I support the development of renewables in Northern Ireland but it is for Ministers in Northern Ireland to decide on what support mechanisms they deem appropriate.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect on the competitive parity of the Northern Ireland energy sector with that sector in other countries of the UK of the decision not to introduce a small-scale feed-in tariff scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: Energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland and it is for Ministers in Northern Ireland to decide on what support mechanisms they deem appropriate and to assess what impact their decisions have on the competitive parity of the Northern Ireland energy sector.The primary focus of the current review of the Feed-in Tariffs is to ensure generators are incentivised appropriately whilst seeking views on how to control future costs. We therefore do not consider it appropriate at this moment to extend the scope of the scheme.

Green Deal Scheme: Disadvantaged

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of Green Deal Home Improvement funding that was allocated to deprived areas.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Prime Minister: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from the Prime Minister's Office in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Matthew Hancock: The Prime Minister’s Office is part of the Cabinet Office. No stationery was reported as lost or stolen from the Cabinet Office in any of the last five fiscal years.

Cycling: Accidents

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyclists have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in the last year.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Cyclists Death
(PDF Document, 108.13 KB)

Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

Matthew Hancock: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These reports can be accessed at the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Government Departments: Procurement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which suppliers have provided Certificates of Performance under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for each Department in 2015.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many organisations considered in-scope under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 have provided Certificates of Performance in each Department in 2015.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether organisations considered in-scope under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 have submitted Certificates of Performance to the Crown Commercial Service for each in-scope stand-alone public contract as required under those Regulations.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 09 November 2015



The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not require the submission of Certificates of Performance.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Codes of Practice

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Civil Service Commission was consulted on changes to the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, published in October 2015.

Matthew Hancock: The October 2015 version of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers was revised and published in accordance with the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with whom he consulted on recent changes to the ministerial code.

Matthew Hancock: The Ministerial Code is the Prime Minister’s guidance to his Ministers. It is normally updated and reissued following a General Election. The Code is not subject to external consultation. This has been the practice under successive Administrations.

Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the likely cost of establishing and running his extended ministerial office.

Matthew Hancock: The costs of running all parts of the Cabinet Office will be accounted for in the Department's annual report and accounts.

Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish details of his Department's expenditure over £25,000 from September 2014 to date.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office fully committed to transparency, and I am taking steps to publish the Department’s outstanding spend data, including details of any spend of £25,000 and above, as soon as possible.

Department of Health

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements he plans to put in place to ensure that medicines for rare cancers can be appropriately evaluated after the Cancer Drugs Fund ends in March 2016.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans for the public consultation on the Cancer Drugs Fund to begin.

George Freeman: The Government remains committed to the Cancer Drugs Fund and is working with NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the future arrangements for the Fund.NHS England has advised that its plans for a public consultation on its proposals for the Fund are being finalised.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of individual funding requests for access to drugs for rare cancers are refused at (a) panel and (b) screening level.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that this information is not collected in the format requested.Information on Cancer Drugs Fund notifications and individual Cancer Drug Fund requests is routinely published on NHS England’s website and is available at:www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements he plans to put in place to assess new drugs for rare cancers.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of interim or emergency measures to provide access to drugs for rare cancers during the period of the accelerated access review.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is the independent body that makes decisions on the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs, including those for rare cancers, based on thorough assessment of the best available evidence.The Government has also established the Cancer Drugs Fund, which has helped over 72,000 cancer patients in England to access life-extending drugs that would not otherwise have been available to them.The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) was launched in April 2014 to support access in the United Kingdom to unlicensed or off-label medicines representing a significant advance in treatment in areas of unmet medical need. Eight EAMS Promising Innovative Medicines designations and four positive EAMS scientific opinions have been issued so far, including some for new cancer drugs.The independent Accelerated Access Review is currently looking at how we can reduce the time, cost, and risk of drug development, develop a new range of flexible reimbursement models and consider the long term landscape for innovation adoption. The Review’s recommendations are expected in spring 2016.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made on the accelerated access review for drugs for rare cancers; by what date he plans for that review to be concluded; and if he will set a deadline by which arrangements must be in place for the assessment of new drugs.

George Freeman: The Accelerated Access Review which was set up to look at speeding up access to innovative drugs including those for rare diseases, devices and diagnostics for National Health Service patients has been making strong progress since it was first announced in November 2014.The review which is independently chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor has been engaging stakeholders extensively over the summer to gather evidence on the big questions the review is considering, and has developed a number of emerging solutions.Sir Hugh published his interim report of the review on 27 October 2015. The report is high-level, direction-setting and grounded in evidence gathered through the review’s stakeholder engagement to date. The review is embarking on a second phase of engagement with stakeholders to further build the evidence, stress-test and refine the reports interim findings.The review will conclude with Sir Hugh making his final recommendations to Government by April 2016. The Government will thereafter consider how best to respond.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11045, what the evidential base is for the statement in that Answer that the planned removal of drugs from the Cancer Drugs Fund would have no or minimal impact on survival rates for certain cancers; and what his definition is of minimal impact in that context.

George Freeman: NHS England is responsible for the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). NHS England has advised that its expert CDF clinically-led panel considers that none of the drugs removed from the national CDF list on 4 November 2015 represent a cure for patients as they are given with palliative intent.With respect to any impact on survival duration, the panel considered the drugs provided either no or a small to modest proven effect on survival and hence the panel considered their removal would have a minimal impact.Information on the decisions made on individual drugs is available in the relevant decision summary published in NHS England’s website at:www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/cdf-drug-sum/

Suicide

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what amount of Government funding was allocated to help reduce suicide rates in each year from 1995 to 2015.

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many suicide attempts were recorded by health bodies in England for each year from 1995 to 2015; what that number was as a proportion of the population; what the ethnic backgrounds were of those people attempting suicide; and how many of those people were previously known to mental health services.

Alistair Burt: In 2012 the Department announced investment of over £1.5 million over three years on suicide prevention research and development.Data on the funding allocated to suicide prevention is not available from 1995. The tables below show the funding that was allocated from Department of Health programme budgets to suicide prevention between 2011/12 and 2015/16 and self-harm prevention from 2012/13 – 2015/16. Prior to this, funding allocated to suicide prevention was held within broader mental health strategy budgets.Funding allocated to suicide prevention between 2011/12 and 2015/16YearFunding allocation2011/12£75,0002012/13£100,0002013/14£100,0002014/15£130,000 *2015/16£90,000Total£495,000* Includes £70,000 allocated by the Department to Public Health England to publish Help is at Hand, suicide bereavement support document.Funding allocated to self-harm prevention between 2012/13 and 2015/16YearFunding allocation2012/13£330,0002013/14£330,0002014/15£330,0002015/16£330,000Total£1,320,000Source: Department of HealthInformation on the number of suicide attempts recorded by health bodies in England is not held centrally.

Stem Cells: Medical Treatments

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of psychological support for (a) patients who have received and (b) the families of patients who have received a stem cell transplant.

Jane Ellison: The Government recognises the importance of supporting cancer survivors and is committed to working with the National Health Service, charities and patient groups to deliver the new Cancer Taskforce strategy.The report of the independent Cancer Taskforce, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020 (July 2015), states that we need to transform our approach to support people living with and beyond cancer. The strategy notes that depression in cancer patients can be treated by medication and by psychological treatment. These treatments are most effectively and efficiently delivered using a systematic collaborative care model, such as Depression Care for People with Cancer. Cancer Taskforce strategy recommends accelerating the roll-out of the Recovery Package that includes a needs assessment that may lead to a patient being referred to support services that include psychological support. The Cancer Taskforce report says that the aim should be that by 2020 every person with cancer will have access to elements of the Recovery Package.We are working with the NHS, charities and patient groups to implement the independent Cancer Taskforce’s recommendations.

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that junior doctors do not suffer a reduction in pay as a result of the Government's proposals to change junior doctors' contracts.

Ben Gummer: Our offer on a new contract for junior doctors includes transitional arrangements that guarantee that all junior doctors currently working legal hours will not receive a pay cut compared to their current contract. Those in the higher stages of training will remain on current pay terms; for those moving onto the new pay terms, we are offering pay protection.Around 1% of junior doctors currently work on rotas that have breached the current limits on hours, and these junior doctors receive Band 3 payments (100% of basic salary). New contractual safeguards will include stronger limits on hours and patterns of work; and there will be stronger contractual processes, with external scrutiny, for dealing with variations from planned working. These Band 3 payments will not, therefore, apply or be protected.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are currently on an NHS referral to treatment waiting list.

Jane Ellison: The latest referral to treatment waiting times published by NHS England on 8 October 2015 shows there were just over 3.3 million people waiting to start consultant-led treatment at the end of August 2015.In 2013/14, there were 1.3 million more operations compared with 2009/10.

Offenders: Opiates

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of post-release prisoners who fatally overdose on opioids.

Ben Gummer: Information on opioid-related deaths in England following release from prison is not held centrally.

Doctors: Qualifications

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the General Medical Council on their revalidation programme.

Ben Gummer: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health meets the General Medical Council regularly and has discussed their revalidation programme with them.

Locums: Qualifications

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of locums to the NHS arising from the General Medical Council's revalidation programme.

Ben Gummer: Medical revalidation is underpinned by structured appraisal processes that support a doctor's professional development. Doctors will prepare for their appraisal during planned periods away from clinical practice, thus removing the need for additional locum cover in the National Health Service.

Naloxone

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of potential savings to the NHS arising from an expansion of the availability of Take-Home Naloxone.

Jane Ellison: No estimate has been made of the potential savings to the National Health Service arising from expanding the availability of take-home naloxone.The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ ‘Consideration of naloxone’ (2012) reported that there is a lack of published research on the cost-effectiveness of naloxone provision and said that naloxone provision in local areas would be a local decision including an assessment of its cost-effectiveness.To help local areas introduce effective and efficient take-home services, Public Health England published advice on promoting wider availability of naloxone to reduce overdose deaths in February 2015.

Department of Health: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold details centrally of lost stationery items nor does it collect details of the cost to replace lost or stolen items.The Department’s official Losses and Special Payments Register has confirmed that there have been no cases of ‘stolen’ stationery reported in the last five fiscal years.

NHS: Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the NHS workforce he expects to receive a real-terms pay increase over the next four years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government announced that it would fund public sector pay increases at an average of 1% for four years from 2016/17. For National Health Service staff, the NHS Pay Review Body and Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration will take evidence from a range of stakeholders, including Government, trades unions, NHS Providers, NHS Employers, NHS England and Health Education England and will make recommendations to Government.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average number of hours worked per week by junior doctors is.

Ben Gummer: We do not hold this information centrally.

Cancer: Bolton West

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications to the Cancer Drugs Fund from people of Bolton West constituency have been successful; and what the financial value of such applications was.

George Freeman: This information is not collected centrally.

Endometriosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women in each age group have been treated for endometriosis in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of endometriosis and any procedure for treatment in an inpatient hospital setting, for females, by 5 year age bands, 2009-10 to 2013-14.Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorAge Bands2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-140-4***-*5-9-----10-14861010715-1937444145345744920-241,7121,8542,0201,9271,83725-292,5622,6492,5912,4232,48530-342,9312,8902,7262,5752,76835-393,2423,1863,0102,6602,65540-442,7622,7962,8392,7522,74945-491,5321,5781,6671,7461,89950-5435338341749253255-59108102899112360-64566460535565-69323629334670-74242423192975-79132019182080-84*128*785-89*****90+19*7**Unknown85867771,4471,543Total15,81816,13216,75316,71117,211Note: An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.* denotes 5 or fewer FAEs.

Eating Disorders: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of when Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating programmes will be available throughout the NHS.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard for diabetes sets out that people with diabetes should receive a structured educational programme as this is key to ensuring that they are able to manage their condition as successfully as possible.There are a number of national and locally developed patient education programmes, including Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating which is available to people with Type 1 diabetes via general practitioner referral.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of toxic shock syndrome broken down by gender for the years 2009-10 to 2013-14.Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorGenderYearFemaleMale2009-1046422010-1143282011-1243292012-1355222013-146330Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information CentreNote: An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Hospitals: Standards

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Hospital Trusts have moved out of special measures since the Care Quality Commission inspection regime was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The following 10 Trusts have exited Special Measures since it started in July 2013:- Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust- Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust- George Eliot Hospital Trust- Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings’ Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust- Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust- United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust- Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustEvery patient rightly expects the best possible quality of care and services. We are pleased that following the hard work by staff at these trusts and significant improvement, the Care Quality Commission recommended that these trusts exit Special Measures.

Aortic Aneurysm

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have had an aortic aneurysm in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The following table sets out a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)[1] with a primary diagnosis[2] and a primary or secondary diagnosis[3] of aortic aneurysm[4] in each of the last five years[5] in England. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorYearFAEs with a primary diagnosisFAEs with a primary or secondary diagnosis2009-1012,06544,2282010-1111,91949,4132011-1212,34652,5982012-1312,31055,2662013-1412,59160,630Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre[1] A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.[2] The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.[3] Number of episodes in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosisThe number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record.[4] The following ICD10 codes was used to identify an aortic aneurysm: I71 Aortic aneurysm and dissection I79.0 Aneurysm of aorta in diseases classified elsewhere[5] Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care)HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. Note that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

NHS: Property

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what value of NHS property has been (a) acquired and (b) sold in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) clinical commissioning group area in each of the last five years.

George Freeman: Information about the value of property and land sales for the National Health Service is held centrally only for 2013-14 and 2014-15. We do not hold information by clinical commissioning group or parliamentary constituency. Information about acquisitions of property by the NHS is not recorded centrally.(a) Value of property sold:2013-142014-15NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts£179.9 million£155.8 millionNHS Property services£24.9 million£57.8 million(b) Value of property acquired. We do hold this information for NHS Property Services and this is shown below:2013-142014-15NHS Property Services£3.0 million£18.1 millionNHS Trusts/Foundation TrustsNot recordedNot recorded

Diabetes: Orthopaedics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many amputations were performed on people with diabetes in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The attached table gives a count of finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of diabetes and a primary or secondary procedure of amputation 2009-10 to 2013-14.



FCEs- Diabetes and amputations 2009-14
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.39 KB)

Tourette's Syndrome

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each of the last five years had Tourette's syndrome.

Alistair Burt: Studies estimate that 200,000 - 300,000 people in the United Kingdom are affected by Tourette’s syndrome. Information concerning how many people had Tourette’s syndrome in each of the last five years is not collected.

Bone Diseases: Hormones

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on the use of oestrogen to prevent brittle bones.

Jane Ellison: There have been no such discussions.

Diabetes: International Cooperation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on developing a global strategy to tackle diabetes.

Jane Ellison: Departmental Ministers regularly discuss a range of issues, including diabetes, with their international counterparts. However, there have been no specific discussions on a Global Diabetes Strategy.

Junior Doctors: Liverpool

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his assessment is of the effect of his contractual proposals for junior doctors on the number of hours worked by such doctors in Liverpool.

Ben Gummer: Our proposals include stronger limits on the hours worked by junior doctors, including to reduce the number of excessive hours junior doctors work each week; and strong contractual safeguards, with external scrutiny, to ensure that employers must address any variations from planned work schedules, to ensure safe working.

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to release estimates of NHS expenditure on mental health services for financial year 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: NHS England has published clinical commissioning group (CCG) level expenditure on mental health for 2013/14, which was estimated to be £8.1 billion. CCGs are currently in the process of preparing estimates of expenditure for mental health services in 2014/15.We continue to take mental health as seriously as physical health and to hold the National Health Service to account for achieving the objectives set out in the NHS Mandate. In the planning requirements for 2015/16, CCGs were required to invest additionally in mental health in line with their increase in allocation. The total planned additional spend is £376 million, an increase of 4.5%.

Universal Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 11786 and the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10360, on universal credit, whether a box for universal credit exists on NHS charges claim forms.

Alistair Burt: Some NHS Help with Health Costs claim forms, for example HC5 refund claim forms, have been amended to include a specific tick box to enable Universal Credit recipients to claim entitlement.Form HC1 (NHS Low Income Scheme application form) has been amended to include a sentence about Universal Credit, to advise those applying that until 31 October 2015, anyone in receipt of Universal Credit does not need to complete the form, as they will already be entitled to Help with Health Costs.Other forms, including: NHS prescription forms (FP10); dental treatment claim forms (FP17) and claims for NHS funded sight tests (GOS 1) and for vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (GOS 3) will be amended to include a Universal Credit box in due course.A patient can make a claim for entitlement by ticking the “gets income based Jobseekers Allowance” on relevant forms. Guidance for both the public and healthcare practitioners (such as pharmacists, dentist and opticians) has been included on NHS Choices with links from the Universal Credit webpages on Gov.uk.

Department of Health: Grants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 11792, which grants made under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1964 are awarded on a non-competed basis; and if he will ensure that all future section 64 grants are awarded on a competed basis.

Alistair Burt: Providing the requested information would involve analysis of each grant awarded and would therefore be at disproportionate cost. There is a range of different circumstances where it would not be appropriate or value for money to run a competed scheme.

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department received from Action on Smoking and Health about its grant application for the 2015-16 financial year since receipt of that application.

Jane Ellison: It is normal practice for Departmental officials to discuss grant applications with the applicant. The application process is iterative to ensure the final objectives are in line with Departmental aims.We have received additional information from Action on Smoking and Health about its grant application for the 2015-16 financial year since receipt of that application, as part of this process.

Diabetes

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS England spent providing structured education courses to people living with diabetes in the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: We do not hold the information requested.

Eating Disorders

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa requested and were granted access to local specialist mental health in-patient beds in the last year for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.The Government is providing additional funding to reduce waiting times and enhance or develop evidence based community eating disorder services, so that fewer young people will need admission to hospital as they will receive treatment closer to home.

Health Services

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many lipid clinics there are in (a) England and (b) each clinical commissioning group.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

Lipidologists

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many lipidologists work within NHS England in (a) England and (b) each clinical commissioning group.

Ben Gummer: NHS England does not directly employ lipidologists. The number of lipidologists who work at clinical commissioning group level is not held centrally.

NHS Trusts: Finance

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the projected surplus or deficit is for all acute trusts and foundation trusts in (a) the South West and (b) England for 2015-16.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the surplus of deficit was for all acute trusts and foundation trusts in (a) the South West and (b) England on the latest date for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: The 2015-16 forecast year-end position for the National Health Service trusts is not yet published.However, the year-to-date deficit for NHS trusts was published in the NHS Trust Development Authority’s Q1 Financial Position release, and this also contains a regional breakdown, which can be found on their website or via the following link:http://www.ntda.nhs.uk/blog/2015/10/09/nhs-trusts-financial-position-for-q1-of-201516/The latest available forecast year-end deficit for the foundation trusts sector was published in Monitor’s Q1 Performance Report, which can be found on their website or via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-foundation-trusts-quarterly-performance-report-quarter-1-201516Both Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority do not collect or report on regional breakdowns that separately identifies a “South West” region.

Cerebral Palsy: Children

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to specialist health facilities for children with cerebral palsy.

Jane Ellison: The commissioning of health services generally, including provider facilities, is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). When considering what services should be commissioned we would expect CCGs to take account of best practice and guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on the management of spasticity in under 19s, and the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which captures local need.Children with particularly complex needs may also be eligible for continuing care, commissioned by the CCG to meet the needs of children or young people which cannot be met through universal services. The continuing care framework is currently being updated following a public consultation, to ensure it provides the right guidance on assessing and planning for needs.Specialised services are commissioned by NHS England. For cerebral palsy it has commissioned Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedures as part of its Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) programme.CtE schemes run in areas where the current evidence base on clinical and cost effectiveness of a particular treatment is insufficient to support routine funding, and where further research is unlikely to be forthcoming. In these circumstances, NHS England identifies funding for a CtE scheme to gather and support a review of the national clinical commissioning policy position.

Cerebral Palsy: Databases

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to develop a national register for people with cerebral palsy.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of support for people with cerebral palsy.

Jane Ellison: NHS England advises that there are currently no plans to develop a national register for people with cerebral palsy.Spend on support for people with cerebral palsy is not collected.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust: NHS 111

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask the Care Quality Commission to investigate the project run by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust between December 2014 and February 2015 on the treatment of emergency calls to NHS 111.

Jane Ellison: The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and adult social care, advises the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is scheduled for a comprehensive inspection in 2016.The CQC advises it has attended a recent risk summit conducted by NHS England. The decisions or actions arising from the NHS England risk summit will be one of the factors considered in the timing of any forthcoming CQC inspection.NHS England undertook an external investigation of the project, the report of which was published by NHS England on 5 November 2015.We are advised that Monitor is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertaken such investigations independently of the Department. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review findings.

Heart Diseases

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to improve awareness, diagnosis and treatment of heart valve disease.

Jane Ellison: The initial diagnosis, and follow-up, of those with heart valve disease is commissioned by clinical commissioning groups. NHS England is working with professionals across the system to look at ways in which services and outcomes for patients can be improved further, for example, by encouraging all practitioners to follow clinical guidelines.Service specifications for the surgical and interventional treatment of heart valve disease are published by the NHS England Cardiac Clinical Reference Group, which is co-chaired by the National Clinical Director for Cardiac Services, Professor Huon Gray. These are important in clearly defining what NHS England expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. NHS England is working on the next iteration of these specifications, which will include important standards relating to mitral valve surgery.In addition, novel interventions on the mitral valve (Mitraclip) are being evaluated through the Commissioning through Evaluation initiative.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number of NHS patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis who have not had a gastroenterology appointment in the last six months and who have had an appointment cancelled or postponed by their NHS provider during the last six months.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number of NHS patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis who have not had a gastroenterology appointment in the last six months.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of gastroenterology appointments specifically related to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis that have been cancelled or postponed at the request of the Grimsby and Goole Hospital Trust in the last 12 months.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number of gastroenterology appointments specifically related to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis that have been cancelled or postponed at the request of an NHS provider in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: The information is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12901, on mental health services, whether the figures in that Answer include children and young people.

Alistair Burt: The figures set out in the answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12901 include children and young people. The number of times people aged under 18 were taken to police custody as a place of safety under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act fell from 256 in 2013/14 to 161 in 2014/15 (37% reduction)[1].[1] National Police Chief’s Council: http://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/fall-in-use-of-police-custody-for-those-in-mental-health-crisis

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consultation the NHS England Vanguard programme has undertaken with mental health clinicians in order to ensure that there is integrated care for the pilot sites' registered populations.

Alistair Burt: Providing improved care for people with long term mental health conditions is a key priority for the Five Year Forward View New Models of Care programme. NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Mental Health, Dr Geraldine Strathdee, has been consulted regularly as the programme has developed.Vanguard sites were selected following an open and rigorous process to ensure chosen sites addressed key criteria including, where appropriate, mental health. This involved several stages of evaluation and selection workshops where mental health clinicians, other clinicians, patients and other key stakeholders (including those representing mental health e.g. MIND) were able to influence the decision making process.A workshop focusing specifically on mental health was held for the urgent and emergency care vanguards on 5 October 2015. This was chaired by Dr Strathdee. Representatives of vanguard sites discussed their plans for investment in all-age psychiatric liaison services and the development of crisis services. They also agreed to share plans for improving mental health services across all vanguards.The vanguards are setting up a regular forum on mental health to share learning and good practice.

Surrogate Motherhood: International Cooperation

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to help establish an international agreement on surrogacy arrangements and harmonisation of the law and practice on surrogacy overseas.

Jane Ellison: The Hague Conference on Private International Law, of which the United Kingdom is a Member State, has set up an Experts’ Group to examine whether there is a realistic prospect of progress in this area. The Experts’ Group will report in March 2016.